Wedding Bells
by PuppiesCanFly
Summary: Percy and Annabeth have been in lots of weddings together through the years, and Annabeth absolutely hates his guts. FULL SUMMARY INSIDE, PLEASE READ! AU, Percabeth
1. The First Weddings

FULL SUMMARY:

_Ever since they were little, Percy and Annabeth have always seen each other at weddings. When they were four, they were ring bearer and flower girl. In their teens, they were forced to sit next to each other. Then, when their respective best friends are engaged, they are forced to be the maid of honor and the best man. The worst part is that Annabeth hates his guts. Most of the time. Will they survive planning their friends' wedding together? AU Percabeth_

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><p><strong>HAH! Take that, universe. I'm posting two stories in one day to make up for lost time. Yay! This will be a multi-chapter story, so you are in luck, dear readers! This is AU and a little bit OOC sometimes, so please don't get too angry about that!<strong>

**Thank you again SO much, my readers, and I hope that you enjoy my newest story! By the way, I'm still not Rick Riordan.**

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><p>Annabeth hated the sound of wedding bells. She stopped to glare at the offending bell tower before hurrying down the street, holding her umbrella tighter in the downpour. Wedding bells always sounded so obnoxiously happy. When she was four, she was forced to be the flower girl in her father's wedding. That was the first time she met Percy, who remained more obnoxious as wedding bells ringing.<p>

She had been forced into a frilly white dress for the occasion, and was standing in line at the back of the church, waiting for her cue to walk down the aisle when he crashed into her. "OOPS! Sorry," the boy had said. After a beat, he cocked his head to the right and crinkled up his nose adorably, holding his hand out."I'm Percy. You have scary gray eyes. Did you know that?" That's when Annabeth punched Percy for the first time. Right in one of his sea green eyes. "OOOOWWWW! What was THAT for?" he whined.

"That was for wrinkling my dress," Annabeth said, looking down a few inches to look at him accusingly. "By the way, my name is Annabeth. And I do not have scary eyes." She stalked off to get back in line, where Percy followed her.

"Sorry," he whispered to her as the music started to play. "I didn't mean to hit you. I was trying to find the other ring."

Annabeth turned to him, raising an eyebrow. "The other ring?" She then noticed the miniature tuxedo Percy was wearing, and the little pillow he was carrying. With one ring on it. She glared at him severely, and said,"You're the ring bearer? And you lost my father's wedding ring?" Pursing her lips, and increasing her glare, she continued in a scarily calm tone. "Find it. Now." Percy nodded, his eyes wide, and scampered off, dropping to his knees to search the floor.

He ended up finding the ring just before the procession started down the aisle. "I found it!" he whispered excitedly in Anabeth's ear as he hurried to catch up to her. She was methodically throwing one flower petal at a time to each side.

"Don't crush the flowers," was her only response, keeping her gaze straight ahead.

"Are you still angry at me?" he asked quizzically.

She stopped for a second, and then continued walking and throwing petals. "I guess not. At least you found the ring in time." They walked in silence for the rest of the march up to the altar. Then they both turned into the first pew on the right, Annabeth smoothing her skirt before sitting down. "Why are you sitting here?" she hissed at Percy. "You're supposed to be on the other side."

"No, my mom said I had to sit with the flower girl. That's you," he argued as the music for the bride's entrance started. Annbeth stood up quickly, then turned to look at Percy with horror.

"You have to stand up for the bride!" she exclaimed.

"Why?" he whined. "I like sitting."

"You better stand up right now, Mr.-"

"You're not the boss of me."

"Yes I am, because I'm smarter than you."

"No you're not."

"Yes I am."

"No you're not."

"Yes I am."

"No you're not."

"Yes I am."

"No you're not."

"Do you know what vacuous means?"

"Vacuum-us?"

"No, vacuous."

"Um... maybe?"

"HAH! You don't know what it means. That means I'm smarter than you."

"Well... I bet you don't know what it means either!"

"Vacuous. Adjective. Meaning having or showing a lack of intelligence or serious thought. Of Latin origin, vacuus. First known use was circa 1660."

"What?"

"It means stupid. Like you, apparently. Haven't you read the dictionary?"

"No..."

"Well that settles it. I'm officially smarter than you."

"Fine."

"Fine." They turned around to see the entire church staring at them. Annabeth's father glared at her, and put his finger to his lips. Annabeth turned to glare at Percy with as much venom as possible as the music started again, and the bride walked up the aisle with no further interruptions.

The priest was starting to announce the vows when Percy leaned over again. "Uh, Annabeth?" She turned to glare at him.

"What now?"

"I don't know what I'm supposed to do with the rings. Or when."

Her eyes widened. "Percy! You were supposed to bring the rings up already! I thought you had!"

"Well... I sorta forgot. What do I do?"

"What do you do?!" she whisper-shouted. "WHAT DO YOU DO?!"

"Yeah! Since you're smarter than me, I figured you'd know what to do."

Taking a deep breath and glancing up at the ceiling once, Annabeth turned to respond to him. "Follow me," she whispered. "And do exactly as I tell you to." Percy nodded, and they both stood up. Annabeth strode to the altar, and dropped into a curtsy. Percy started to curtsy as well, and Annabeth hissed, "NO! You're a boy, so you have to bow! Didn't you know that?" Blushing furiously, he bowed. They both stood up straight and Annabeth stood up as tall as possible. Her tiny frame did not even quiver as she plucked the rings from Percy's hands and turned to hold them out to her father and her future stepmother. "I, Annabeth Chase, present these rings to bind the two of you in holy matrimony." She elbowed Percy, who stuttered,

"I, Annabeth-"

"YOUR NAME IS PERCY," she hissed.

"I, uh, Percy Jackson, say whatever she said, 'cause I don't know what it means."

Huffing exasperatedly, Annabeth grabbed his arm. "Close enough." Turning to face the bewildered priest, she spoke loud and clear. "Thank you, Father. You may continue." She proceeded to drag Percy back to his seat, and the remainder of the ceremony passed uneventfully, other than the odd looks the congregation was giving the duo.

"I pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride," the priest said, and the church erupted in cheers.

"What happened?" Percy mumbled, rubbing his eyes.

Annabeth looked down at the boy sitting on the pew. "Stand up! It's time for the bride and groom to kiss! CLAP!" Percy stood up, and clapped enthusiastically, looking at Annabeth for approval. She rolled her eyes and giggled a bit, causing Percy to break into a huge grin.

Annabeth lowered her umbrella as she entered a Starbucks. Glancing around, she noticed that her long time friend, Piper had not arrived yet. She rolled her eyes. Typical Piper, being late even though she was the one to set up the meeting. Annabeth quickly ordered two coffees and a scone, thanked the cashier, and found a table in the corner. She began to sip her coffee, and pulled out her blueprint notebook from her backpack. Sketching the beginning stages of a blueprint for a new house, she thought about how excited Piper had sounded on the phone. Annabeth had a very good suspicion of why.

A few minutes later, a girl with choppy brown hair and a braid down the side burst through the doors and over to Annabeth's table. Shaking her wet hair like a dog, and gasping for breath, she managed to say, "Sorry I'm late, Annabeth. I... ran into some traffic." She plopped herself down into the armchair next to Annabeth's, dropping her sopping wet bag on the ground. "Have you been waiting long?"

"Not too long," Annabeth smiled at her friend. Piper had obviously just come from her boyfriend's house, as she was smiling more brightly than usual. "What happened?" Annabeth smirked. "Anything new with Jason?"

Piper blushed madly at the mention of her boyfriend. "How did you know?"

"You're smiling like an idiot."

"Gee, thanks for the compliment. But you're right. It's about Jason."

"So..." prompted Annabeth. "What happened?"

"This!" Piper squealed happily, holding out her left hand. A beautiful diamond ring adorned her finger.

Annabeth smiled widely, laughing. "So, he finally proposed?"

"YES!"

"And I'm assuming from the ring that you said yes."

Piper nodded ecstatically, to excited to roll her eyes. "And I want you to be my Maid of Honor."

"Of course! That's what best friends are for. But don't expect to be getting that title any time soon, though. Just know that if I ever ended up getting married, I'd ask the same of you too.'

Piper waved her hand dismissively."Oh, you'll get married soon enough. I know it. But all that matters is you said yes!"

"Actually, it matters more that you said yes."

"STOP BEING LOGICAL AND LET ME BE HAPPY."

"Okay, Piper."

"YAY, you're going to be my Maid of Honor! You'll design the floral archway for me. And the decorations, because I think we're going to have it outside. Maybe we'll even have it at the beach! And don't worry, I'll help you plan my bachelorette party, though, because if you had it your way, you'd hold it in a library and that would be SO boring. We're going to go dress shopping, and you're going to get a beautiful dress too..." Piper continued to ramble on and on about wedding preparations, while Annabeth leaned back in her chair and sipped her coffee. It was going to be a long get together.

Three cups of coffee and a blueprint later, Piper was apologizing for needing to leave, because she was late for a date with her fiancée. Annabeth shook her head as she watched her friend run out into the pouring rain. She was glad that Jason had finally proposed. He and Piper had been in a serious relationship for three years, and friends for even longer. It took long enough for him to ask her to prom, let alone consider marriage. Annabeth smiled at the memory of the stuttering, tuxedo-clad Jason presenting a corsage to the make-up-faced-and-formal-dress-wearing Piper on prom night. Remembering Piper's floor length gown filled Annabeth's mind with unbidden memories of the first time she wore a formal dress. She was sixteen, so it wasn't too fancy; just a simple sleeveless, sea green dress.

It was the second wedding she had to share with Percy time, his mother was getting married to one of Annabeth's favorite teachers, Paul Blofis. Percy's mother always insisted that Annabeth should call her Sally. Since she and Paul did not have very many close friends, they decided to have Percy and Annabeth be their sole bridesmaid and groomsman respectively, as they were so adorable together when they were four. Which, to Annabeth's dismay, meant that she had to sit with Percy again.

At least this time Percy behaved well during the ceremony, obviously having practiced before hand. Anabeth noted that he did not appear to have gained any maturity over the years. She decided to give him a chance at redemption at the reception was held under a large tent in a meadow near a forest, and it was perfect weather. Annabeth had just sat down at her assigned seat at table one, and noticed that Percy Jackson was to be seated next to her. She sighed as he came and sat down next to her. "Hi!" he said to her, smiling. "Do you remember me? I think I pushed you over."

She smirked at him. "Last time I saw you, I punched you in the eye. Remember that?"

"Yeah. That was not fun. I had a black eye for days!" He paused for a minute. "You know, you still have very scary eyes." Annabeth began to glare at him, and he cowered back in his seat. "But they're only scary if you glare at me!" he added. Annabeth rolled her eyes and laughed. "Do you want to dance?" he asked, fidgeting in his seat.

"Sure, why not?" she said. When they got onto the dance floor a waltz was being played. Apparently Percy had not practiced for this, though, as he proceeded to trample all over Annabeth's toes. Halfway through the dance, he sheepishly apologized, saying, "Sorry about that. I'm... not really that good at dancing. Do you want to take a walk?" Annabeth decided that anything was better than getting her toes mauled, so she agreed.

They walked next to each other in silence. Annabeth pointed out a lantern-lit pathway along the edge of the woods, and they strolled along it. "It was a beautiful wedding. I'm glad that you didn't curtsy this time. Or lose the rings," Annabeth said accusingly.

"It wasn't my fault!" Percy exclaimed.

"Was too."

"Was not."

"Was too."

"Was not."

"It was your job to hold them, so therefore it was completely and utterly your fault!" Annabeth waved her finger in his face. The glow of the lanterns around them created an almost halo on Percy's wavy black hair. Annabeth noticed that they had been getting closer and closer during their argument, and took a step back. Percy stepped forward, and poked a blonde ringlet that had fallen out of her bun. "I like your hair," he said. He tugged on it gently. "It's bouncy!" he exclaimed in delight. He proceeded to tug on it again and again, when Annabeth started to shoot daggers at him with her eyes. "AH! Your glare looks even scarier in the candlelight!" he said, his hand dropping to his side.

"Thank you," she responded tersely. All of a sudden, Percy took a step forward, leaned in, and kissed her right on the mouth. Annabeth jumped back, shock written across her face.

"Sorry," Percy said, smiling sheepishly. "I wanted to see if your eyes could look even scarier!" He smiled widely, with all the innocence of a toddler on his face. And that marked the second time Annabeth punched Percy in the eye.

She hadn't seen Percy Jackson since that night. Annabeth wiped her eyes. It was the rain that had gotten on her face, she tried to convince herself. She couldn't still be angry about one kiss that happened eight years ago. She was now a self-sufficient twenty-four year old with a job at a prestigious architecture company. The obnoxious Percy Jackson was a long gone memory; someone she would never have to see again, she thought to herself as she rode the elevator up to her apartment.

What she didn't know was just how wrong she was.

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><p><strong>Love the idea? Hate it? Want to find out more? Please comment and tell me your thoughts! I love you all! (::) Thanks again!<strong>


	2. Work and the Job

**Thank you, dear readers, followers, and favoriters (Can I make that a word?) for all of your thoughtfulness and support. I love you all! Enjoy this quickly updated chapter!**

**I am not Rick Riordan, because if I was, The Blood of Olympus would be published before October 7th. But I do use the occasional cliffhanger, so maybe we're distantly related. Who knows?**

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><p>Annabeth woke up to the sound of wedding bells chiming. She sprang out of bed and gave her alarm clock a satisfying smack before running into the bathroom to get ready. Three minutes and two seconds later, she was in her kitchen, eating a stale piece of toast and buttoning up her blazer. Swallowing the last bit of her toast with a sip of coffee, she grabbed her backpack and glanced at the clock. 4:02 AM. Three minutes early. She let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding, and closed the door behind her.<p>

When she arrived at her architecture office, three blocks down from her apartment building, it was 4:25 on the dot. Annabeth glanced at her reflection in the front window and tucked a stray curl into her perfect bun before ducking inside the door. Heading past the elevator, she waved good morning to the night guards who were just leaving. "Early again, Miss Chase?" they called after her. She laughed in response, and started the twenty flights of stairs to her office.

Annabeth always refused to use the old-fashioned elevator. Everybody knew that she thought the contraption was an unnecessary waste of space and electricity. If an innocent intern asked her about it, they would be subjected to her famous lecture on all of the money the business was wasting. The elevator was only part of the horrible design of the building, which was ironic because it was an architecture firm, and therefore should be well designed. Twenty minutes later, the unfortunate intern would stumble out from her office, looking completely frazzled. Not many interns lasted much longer after that. It wasn't that Annabeth was a bad manager- she simply was very intimidating. A perfectly ironed pitch black blazer and honey blonde hair pulled into a picture perfect bun paired with her stormy gray eyes was disconcerting enough. On top of that, though, she was also the youngest architect ever to join a prestigious firm and engineer an entire mansion for the President. And she was intelligent, too, graduating from both Harvard and Yale two years early and beginning her career at the young age of twenty.

At 7:30, Annabeth's secretary arrived, and cheerfully announced that the boss was on her way up to the office. "Send her in as soon as possible," Annabeth replied, adding a final pencil stroke to her third blueprint of the day. A few minutes later, her boss, Mrs. Carullo entered her office. Mrs. Carullo had a stern face with sharp pointed features with a pin tight grey bun perched atop her head. She flicked an invisible piece of lint off of her dark pink blazer. "I'm presuming you have finished the layouts for the newest Hollywood studio the firm is building?" Plucking the pile of blueprints off of Annabeth's desk, she tutted approvingly. "I see you have. You can leave now," she said, heading for the door without even looking at the sketches. Annabeth shook her head. "Don't you have anything I can do?" She asked, a hopeful look in her eyes. Mrs. Carullo turned to face her, a faint smile playing at the corners of her lips. "You already do too much. Take a day for yourself."

Mrs. Carullo had an interesting relationship with Annabeth. She loved Annabeth's work, and saw it for the true genius it was, but could not show her any extra favoritism towards her. Annabeth was secretly her favorite employee, though, and she respected her doubly as she was the only other woman at the firm. She was discreet in her acknowledgement and appreciation of Annabeth's work, but Annabeth was intelligent to pick up her subtle hints. She smiled to herself as she repacked her backpack with all of her notes and sketches. Mrs. Carullo really wasn't as bad as everyone seemed to think.

Stepping out into the sidewalk, Annabeth pulled out her phone and called Piper. "Hey there, Beauty Queen!" she said, holding the phone with her shoulder as she unbuttoned her perfectly ironed blazer. Piper moaned on the other end of the phone. "It's. 7. Freaking. 45. In the morning. ANNIE, WHY DO YOU HATE MEEEEEE?" Annabeth held her phone away from her ear as Piper continued her rant. Two blocks later, Annabeth put the phone back up to her ear. "Done yet?" she asked, smirking, even though Piper couldn't see it.

"Yeah," Piper grumbled.

"Good. I just wanted to tell you that I got out of work a bit early today, and was wondering if you wanted to meet up somewhere."

"7:45 is a bit early? Geez, Annie. Normal people don't even go to work until 8. What time did you get there?"

Annabeth ignored Piper's question. "First of all, don't call me Annie. You know I hate that. Second of all, I am not normal, nor am I people-"

"LALALALA, not listening. Just come over to my Dad's place ASAP. Ok? BYEEEEEEEEE!"

"Bye, Piper," Annabeth sighed, looking down at her silent phone.

Passing her apartment building, Annabeth glanced longingly at the little coffee shop across the street. Shaking her head to clear her mind of coffee and caffeine-filled daydreams, she raised her hand to hail a cab. A few minutes later, a cab pulled over. "Where to, Miss?" he asked in a surprisingly polite tone.

"The McLean mansion, please," she replied. The cabbie raised his eyebrows at the address, but didn't say anything. Twenty minutes later, Annabeth was paying and thanking the driver, and surveying the gardens of the McLean mansion.

See, Piper McLean wasn't just any regular girl. As much as she tried to hide it, she was the daughter of the infamous Tristan McLean, world renowned actor and billionaire. "ANNABETH! Don't just stand there! Hurry up and GET IN HERE!" Piper's voice crackled from a hidden speaker. Annabeth rolled her eyes, knowing full well that Piper could see her expression on the millions of security cameras hidden throughout the grounds.

Making her way up to the front door of the mansion, Annabeth couldn't help but notice Jason's truck parked in the long driveway. "I'm assuming your dad isn't home, right? Jason wouldn't be here if he was." she called out, entering the foyer. There really wasn't any other word to describe the hotel-lobby-size entry hall to the mansion. "Right as always," Piper smiled, strolling into the room in her favorite camouflage pajamas.

"Hi, Annabeth," Jason waved, appearing behind his girlfriend.

Annabeth laughed."Hi there, Mr. Marriage. Took you long enough to ask her."

Jason blushed furiously, and Piper giggled.

"Anyway, Annabeth. Remember how you're going to be the maid of honor?" Piper smiled widely.

"How could I forget? You won't let me _not_ remember."

Piper winked. "Ah, touché. But seriously. Jace and I decided that you can plan the entire wedding!"

Annabeth's eyebrows rose. "You're kidding me, right? I have enough work without worrying about planning the wedding of the century all by myself."

Piper pouted, "But you're the only one who can make my wedding perfect."

Jason cleared his throat uncomfortably. "And you, uh, wouldn't be doing it alone. I've picked out my best man, and he's already agreed to help."

"And he's cute," Piper waggled her eyebrows at her friend. Jason looked slightly miffed at her statement, so Piper amended, "But not as cute as you." She pecked Jason on the tip of his nose, cheering him up significantly.

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Look, I told you to stop trying to set me up with people. I have never needed a boyfriend, and don't plan on starting now. And don't you remember what happened with the last one?" Annabeth said threateningly.

"It wasn't my fault. I didn't know Luke was going to throw up on your blueprints, Annie..." Piper said defensively.

"THREE TIMES? ON THREE DIFFERENT DAYS?" she practically screeched.

"Heh... sorry about that?"

Annabeth pressed her fingers to her temples. "Ok. I'll plan your wedding. Just don't set me up with anyone. Ever. Again. Understand?" Her eyes glinted dangerously, and Piper gulped.

"Yes," she squeaked meekly.

"Good." Annabeth turned to Jason. "So, who's your best man? Frank?" she asked. Frank was one of Jason's oldest friends, and had just gotten married to his girlfriend, Hazel, a few months before.

"No, he said he was too busy with married life or something. So I asked my second oldest friend instead."

"Who is..." Annabeth prompted.

"Right here!" a male voice said cheerfully. Annabeth slowly turned to face her new wedding-planning-partner. She gasped. It couldn't be. Not after all those years... Wavy, unruly black hair. A bright, joking smile slowly fading from his face. And eyes as green as the sea itself. "Perseus Jackson," she hissed.

A disconcerted frown captured his face. "Annabeth Chase. So we meet again."


	3. Yeah, That Percy

**A shout out to my wonderful beta-reader, greekgreek25! She is an amazing writer, and the one who gave me the original idea for this story. Go read her stuff! WOOHOO! **

**Also, I wanted to give you a little information regarding my updating schedule. I will try to update periodically throughout the week, but most times you will get chapters on the weekend. And if I'm not updating, please review and tell me so! Sometimes I forget to upload, and need a little reminder :) Thanks!**

**I'm still not Rick Riordan. Yeah.**

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><p><em>LAST CHAPTER:<br>Annabeth slowly turned to face her new wedding-planning-partner. She gasped. It couldn't be. Not after all those years... Wavy, unruly black hair. A bright, joking smile slowly fading from his face. And eyes as green as the sea itself. "Perseus Jackson," she hissed._

_A disconcerted frown captured his face. "Annabeth Chase. So we meet again._

Jason shifted his weight awkwardly, looking between the two. Annabeth was still glaring at Percy, and Percy was still frowning in her direction. "So... I, uh, guess you guys know each other already. So no need for introductions, I guess..." he trailed off, frantically looking at Piper for help.

Piper looked from Annabeth's face to Percy's, and back to Annabeth's. "Is this Percy the Percy?" she asked cautiously.

"Yes, Piper," she smiled forcedly, as Percy's brow furrowed in confusion. "May I speak with you privately?"

"Uh, yeah. Sure... Jason, just stay here with Percy. We shouldn't take too long," Piper laughed nervously as Annabeth grabbed her arm.

Once the boys were out of earshot, Piper squealed."Percy is the Percy who broke your heart!?"

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "We were sixteen. And he didn't break my heart, Piper. The only thing broken was his nose."

"Right... I almost forgot that you punched him."

"He deserved it after that comment he made. He basically said the kiss didn't mean anything."

"So you're saying that he DID break your heart! And don't try to deny it, because you totally care that he didn't care." Annabeth didn't respond, and Piper gasped. "Wait. Oh my gods... He was your first kiss, wasn't he? And you still haven't kissed anyone since then... Oh, Annie." she cried, holding her hand to her mouth. "That's terrible. First kisses are supposed to be magical. Especially when they're with someone you truly love, and you and Percy..."

Annabeth lifted her head up high, blinking away a barely perceptible tear, and ignored Piper's final statement. "It was magical, at least up until the comment, which was rather hurtful. So it wasn't a total loss. But I am over him now. That happened eight years ago. Water under the bridge, am I right?" she laughed half-heartedly, more for her own sake than Piper's. "You know what? Jason must be wondering where we are. We should go back now."

"Annie, are you sure that you're okay with working with... him? After all, I could just hire a wedding planner..."

Annabeth tucked a stray curl behind her ear and fixed her blazer. A cold edge glinted in her eyes."No. I was simply shocked by his presence after all of these years. I can make an effort not to kill him for the sake of your wedding. I am perfectly fine with having a completely professional relationship with my... Never mind. Come on, Piper. Jason's waiting." Piper watched sadly as her friend turned on her heel and walked confidently out the door. If there was one thing she knew, it was that her best friend was still in love with Percy Jackson. So in love that it had turned to hate, but love nonetheless. And something would have to be done with the situation if Piper McLean had anything to do about it. Which she totally did.

Piper and Annabeth walked into the front hall, Annabeth wearing a tight smile. She walked up to Percy quickly, and shook his hand a little harder than necessary. "It's a pleasure to be working with you, Mr. Jackson."

A curious semi-smile danced across Percy's face. "The pleasure's all mine, I'm sure." Annabeth pulled her hand back quickly, her eyes darting around the room. An odd, familiar feeling bubbled up in her gut when their hands had touched, but she pushed it down. She refused to remember the old, barely mature sixteen year old with sea green eyes who had stolen her heart. This was a new colleague. She was starting again. I've just met him, she tried to convince herself. I don't remember him at all. I didn't pine over him for years. Because that would be ridiculous. Annabeth felt like crying for the first time since the night Percy had kissed her.

"You're looking at me funny," Percy said, inching away from Annabeth. "Are you going to punch me again?"

"She punched you successfully?" asked Jason incredulously.

"Twice," Percy and Annabeth said at the same time. Annabeth's head snapped towards Percy for a moment, shocked, then she turned away to quickly gain her composure, putting on a neutral face. Just as if it hadn't bothered her one bit. Which it hadn't, Annabeth tried to tell herself. It really didn't matter at all. But if she had looked over at Percy in that instant, she would have seen the same flash of conflicting emotions in her mind reflected in Percy's eyes. Annabeth faked a cheerful smile and then faced Piper and Jason. "Well, I have to be going now. Don't do anything you'll regret, Jason. Remember that Mr. McLean is always watching you, and has no qualms about hiring assassins to kill people who don't treat Piper right. I think I'm actually on his list of contacts, because I'd totally kill you if you harmed Piper," she smiled sweetly. "Pipes, I'll call you later, okay? And... Mr. Jackson," she nodded curtly.

"Mrs. Chase," he replied, his face hardening.

"It's Ms. Chase. I'm not married," Annabeth corrected, flinching slightly. She could have sworn that she saw a wave of relief in Percy's eyes as she turned to leave.

"Ms. Chase," he whispered after her fading figure.

"You've got it bad, buddy," Jason clapped his friend on the back. "Good luck with her." Piper's eyes narrowed at Percy, whose eyes were still focused where Annabeth had walked off.

Piper pasted a smile on her face as Jason walked off."Hey, Percy!"she called. "Can I talk to you about something? In private?"

Percy's eyebrows furrowed together. "Private?"

"Yeah. Jason doesn't need to hear this. It's about Annabeth."

"Private it is, then. Lead the way," he replied, giving a mock bow of chivalry.

When they arrived in the center of the garden, Piper laughed. "You know chivalry is dead, right?"

"Whatever could you mean, madam?" Percy said jokingly. "But seriously. What did you want to tell me about Annabeth?" His face was filled with concern.

"Listen here, bud," Piper said, any former trace of friendliness absent from her tone. "You hurt my friend once. You better not do it again. Or I swear to the gods I'll kill you myself. You understand me?"

Percy gulped as Piper waved her finger dangerously near to his face. "I understand," he nodded nervously.

"Good. That's all." Piper relaxed a bit, examining his expression. "She still cares about you, you know." Flipping her hair over her shoulder, she started back to the mansion, leaving Percy standing in the middle of the garden, with a look of disbelief on his face.

Back at her apartment, Annabeth was pulling on an old t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants to make dinner in. She meandered into the kitchen in her socks, and pulled out a microwaveable macaroni and cheese bowl and some ice cream. Annabeth thought that she deserved some pampering after the shock of seeing Percy again. Eight years, she thought to herself as she watched her pasta revolve in the microwave. After eight years, Percy Jackson just shows up out of the blue?! Ridiculous, she chastised herself as she brought her dinner. She was being ridiculous. She didn't care about him anymore. I hate him, she decided. I will not fall in love with him again. I never loved him anyways, right? His reappearance simply reignited her hatred for him. Annabeth leaned back in her old leather arm chair, turning her television on to the History Channel. Despite her convictions of hatred, a little voice in the back of her head squeaked something about true love. Annabeth ignored it. You know what. I don't need an excuse for pampering myself a little, she thought to herself. I can have a little ice cream and watch the History Channel whenever I want, whether stupid Percy Jackson shows up in my life or not. She smiled to herself as the historians on the screen started to describe the architecture of the Parthenon, her favorite building in existence. But even as she tried to focus on her favorite show, she started to think of Percy again. Could he be thinking of me right now? Outside she heard the faint sound of wedding bells ringing at a nearby church, floating by on a breeze.

Five blocks down from Annabeth's apartment building, Percy was listening to the same merry chiming. He was walking down the street, thinking of Annabeth. "I wish that Annabeth was thinking of me right now. I know I'm thinking of her," he muttered to himself softly. Overhead, the sound of wedding bells continued softly as the sun set on the brightly lit skyline of New York City.


	4. The Special Place

**Oh my gosh. I made myself cry when I wrote this chapter. Poor Percabeth. Please do not kill me, dear readers. I promise it will get better. *sniffle* Here's a virtual blue cookie to make you feel better (::). Enjoy this super fast update!**

**I am still not Rick Riordan. Seriously. I'm not. And I don't plan on making a cloning device anytime soon, so... yeah. I'm not Rick Riordan. Thanks!**

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><p>Annabeth groaned and rubbed her head as she reached for the remote control for the television. Her head was throbbing, and her neck felt sore. I must have fallen asleep in the armchair, she realized. And now I have to pay the price. She smiled grimly, gritted her teeth, and set about stretching her neck gently.<p>

Some time later, after she had eaten a leisurely breakfast, Annabeth remembered that she hadn't called Piper as she had promised. Cursing under her breath, she dialed Piper's cell phone. The dial tone made a cheerful bleep-bloop noise. "You have reached the mailbox of Piper. Either I lost my phone somewhere, forgot to charge it, or I'm asleep or something. Otherwise I'm avoiding someone because I hate them. YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE, IF THIS APPLIES TO YOU. If I don't hate you, please leave a message after the beep. BEEP. Ha, just kidding. I'm so mean. Record your message after the next beep." Annabeth laughed as the actual beep sounded, and quickly said, "I'm not leaving a long message right now, Pipes. I fell asleep early last night, and forgot to call. Forgive me? I'll see you later, if you want. I'll start planning your wedding tomorrow, so I'll need Per... Mr. Jackson's phone number. Thanks, Beauty Queen." Annabeth snapped her phone shut, and glanced at the clock. It was 10:00 AM on a Saturday. Piper might not have woken up yet. Annabeth sighed, staring out her window at the beautiful day outside. I might as well take a walk in Central Park. Maybe I'll start some designs for the wedding, she considered, pulling on a leather jacket over a simple outfit of jeans and a t-shirt. She grabbed her backpack and locked the door behind her.

It really was a beautiful day outside, Percy thought. A wonderful day to walk around and distract himself from thoughts of Annabeth. He decided that he would go crazy sitting inside all day long, with his noisy thoughts his only company. I won't let such a beautiful day go to waste, he declared to himself silently. I'm going to take a nice long walk. If that doesn't distract me at all, I don't know what will.

Annabeth was walking along a narrow path in the woods. It was less of a path than a little trail behind a bush that Annabeth and Piper had discovered a few years back, but it was one of her favorite places in New York, hidden away from the rest of the world. She exited the path at her little pond. Annabeth called it her own, because she never saw anyone else there, and the narrow path was the only visible entryway. She was sure that such a beautiful place couldn't have been kept a secret for so long, though. But for now she felt content to sit by herself on a large rock by the little pond and soak in the midday sun, pulling out her architecture ideas and blueprints. She smiled as she began to draw the beginning sketch for a large wedding arch, complete with little bells all along the top. Annabeth knew that Piper loved the sound of the merry bells, and decided to put her own hatred of them aside.

Percy groaned. It was just like him to trip on his own feet and fall headfirst into a bush. Spitting out leaves and pulling tiny branches out of his hair, taking a walk didn't seem so appealing anymore. Once he was thoroughly de-branched, he noticed that he was now on the other side of the bush. His eyebrows furrowed together as he took in the tiny path. He couldn't really describe it, but he felt like some unseen force was pulling him down the little trail, deeper and deeper into the woods.

A large crash in the underbrush startled Annabeth. "Percy?"she exclaimed, too shocked to remember to hate him, watching as he stumbled out of the trees. "What are you doing here?"

Percy looked around, blushing. "I fell on a bush," he admitted sheepishly.

"You fell on a bush," Annabeth repeated incredulously. "You fell on a bush."

"Yeah... and then I found this cool trail thing and decided to follow it." Percy's eyes darted around the clearing, just noticing the absence of people. "Oh. I'm sorry... am I intruding?"

Annabeth hesitated. Part of her was screaming at her to kick him out immediately, but another part of her was quietly pleading with her to let him stay. "It's... it's okay. I'm working on some stuff for the wedding. You can stay if you want." Annabeth mentally kicked herself. Stupid, stupid, stupid, she chided herself. You shouldn't be so stupid.

Percy walked over to where she was sitting. "Whatcha drawing?" he asked amicably.

Annabeth's head snapped to look at him, startled. "A blueprint for the wedding arch..." she responded slowly.

"Can I see one of your other drawings?" Annabeth hesitantly nodded her assent, handing him her least important blueprint for fear he would drop it in the pond. Percy looked at it for a minute, then said, "This makes no sense to me at all, but it looks boring. What are all the numbers for?"

"They are the measurements of the different bearings needed to hinge all of the mirrored wall together," she replied, gesturing at her picture.

"I still don't know what that means, but it sounds really boring. And complicated. But also really fancy. I've heard about your successes, though, so I guess that all of those drawings of buildings you made on napkins during weddings paid off. Complicated as your work may be, you've done really well for yourself, Wise Girl." His eyes were filled with unspoken laughter, and his mouth had curved up into a smile.

"Your head is full of seaweed, but at least you're smart enough to remember that I'm smarter than you," she retaliated, sticking her tongue out at the boy lounging in the sun next to her. Annabeth tried not to notice how his eyes sparkled in the sun, the exact same shade as the blue-green water of the little pond. They stared at each other for a minute, and Annabeth averted her eyes back to her drawing. Percy watched silently as she designed the arch with some seashells.

"Ooh!" Percy exclaimed as it began to take shape. "Are those shells?"

"Mhmm," she replied, not looking up from her work. Part of her brain was still considering the fact that he had kept track of her career.

"I love anything to do with the sea. I'm actually a marine biologist. That looks like a great design. Is the wedding going to be on the beach?"

She glanced at him quizzically."This is just an idea, in case Piper wants a beach wedding."

"I can pick the perfect beach, if you need me to. I'm the lead scientist with the beach preservation program."

"The lead scientist of a prestigious program. For some reason, I never pictured you described that way," Annabeth said, a smile inadvertently spreading across her face.

"I guess I never looked like the scientist type. Should I have gotten nerdy glasses?" This time Annabeth couldn't surpress a little laugh. Percy's face lit up at this.

"Once a Seaweed Brain, always my Seaweed Brain," she shook her head, smiling.

"My Seaweed Brain?" he asked quietly, a faint smile on his lips. Their eyes met, and a blush crept up Annabeth's neck. Stupid, stupid, stupid, her brain chorused. You shouldn't have let him stay.

Percy slid closer. Annabeth sat unmoving in the sun. "Annabeth?" he whispered. "Is that what you said? My Seaweed Brain?" Annabeth's eyes opened wide in shock. Did I really say that? she wondered. Is this happening? All of a sudden, Percy's lips crashed onto hers. But Annabeth didn't pull back. The slight taste of salt, the light scent of the sea... Somehow Annabeth felt at home in his arms. But suddenly memories of that fateful night at Percy's mother's wedding flashed before her eyes. "I wanted to see if your eyes could look even scarier than they already are!" Percy's voice echoed in her mind mockingly. She saw her younger self sprawled on her bed again, still in her evening gown, tears pouring down her face. Piper's face came into view."He was your first kiss, wasn't he? And he broke your heart," she whispered. Annabeth pushed away, her eyes wide. "Hope it didn't taste like seaweed," Percy smirked.

"Don't," Annabeth said, turning away.

"Look, I know probably shouldn't have kissed you. It just happened. But it didn't mean anything, so-"

"Go."

"What?"

"Go away."

"Annabeth-"

"Leave." She turned to face him, her eyes filled with pain. "Please leave," she whispered. Percy opened his mouth to say something, then, seeing the expression in her eyes, decided against it. He nodded silently. Annabeth waited until Percy's figure was out of view before breaking into tears.

She packed her blueprints away, the pencil marks blurring as she cried. Zipping her jacket tightly around herself, Annabeth pulled out her phone and wrote a short text to Piper, reading: I'm at my special spot. Please come. I need a friend.

When Piper arrived at the little pond, her heart practically broke in two. Sitting alone on a rock by the shore, Annabeth- the strongest person she had ever known- was curled around herself, crying silently. Piper did not say anything. She simply sat down next to her best friend and wrapped her arms around her in a hug. When Annabeth's shoulders finally stopped heaving with silent tears, Piper asked quietly,"Was it..."

"Yes," came the hoarse reply. "Everything is always Percy Jackson's fault." Annabeth slowly sat up, and Piper felt the urge to back away. It was't because of the red ringing her eyes. It wasn't the streaks down her face where tears had made their paths. It was murderous look of hatred within those red, puffy eyes that frightened her. Annabeth stood up, and wiped her face. She stood eerily still. "Perseus Jackson," she started in a scarily calm tone. "is dead to me."

After Piper drove Annabeth home, she sat in her car outside her apartment for a while. She wondered what Percy had said or done to invoke the evil rath of Annabeth. But she also knew that whatever it was had to be fixed, and soon, because Percy was the only person who could break down the walls surrounding Annabeth's heart. Because he was the one person, that special person, who had stolen Annabeth Chase's heart so long ago, and rescued it from being made of stone.

Annabeth sat in her favorite arm chair, cold rage filling her entire being. How dare he. How dare he have the audacity to kiss me, and say that it didn't matter? He didn't feel anything in that kiss? No sense of belonging, love, or even passion? She felt the childish urge to start bawling again, and suppressed the need to scream. Her brain no longer needed convincing. Her heart wasn't so sure, but she decided to ignore only feeling she felt towards Perseus Jackson was complete and utter loathing. Wedding bells started to ring on the television set next door, mocking her and her sorrow. "I hate him," she screamed into a cheap, mud-colored decorative pillow. She punctuated each word with a punch to the pillow "I (smack) hate (smack) Perseus (smack) freaking (smack) Jackson. (extremely large smack)" She looked at the shredded remains of the pillow, and whispered one word: _Percy._ She started to cry once more, and this time she didn't stop herself.


	5. Seaweed and Wisdom

**I have said this so many times, but I felt obligated to say it again. I LOVE YOU GUYS! Thank you so much for all of your favorites, follows, and reviews! You are the best. A virtual blue cookie for you all, my dear readers! (::)**

**I am not Rick Riordan, so I do not own his amazing world of demigodishness.**

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><p>"Annabeth? Please let me in," Piper's voice said from outside Annabeth's apartment door.<p>

"Go away, Piper," came the grumpy reply.

"You know I'm not leaving until you open this door."

Annabeth cracked the door open a sliver, just enough for one of her eyes and the corner of her pajama top to be visible. She had been crying again, Piper realized with a gasp.

"I know, right? Annabeth said with a bitter laugh. "The Great Annabeth Chase, brought to tears by some stupid boy. You know what? Piper, you can come in now. I'm almost ready anyway." Annabeth opened the door, and waved her friend inside. Her apartment looked the same as always- picture perfect and pristine- except for a demolished pillow and an over-abundance of tissues in the garbage. Piper glanced at Annabeth, then down to the overflowing garbage can, and resisted the urge to correct her friend. It wasn't just some random boy who had made Annabeth cry. It was one particular boy. Percy Jackson.

Annabeth disappeared into her room for a few minutes, leaving Piper to ruminate sitting on the couch. Annabeth viciously pulled her hair up into a ponytail, then deftly whipped it into a stern bun. She buttoned up a gray blouse the color of her eyes, and slipped on a pair of skinny black jeans. Glancing at her reflection in the mirror, she groaned. Dark circles and bags surrounded her eyes, which were bloodshot and glassy. Wrinkling her nose, she put a little bit of coverup- which belonged to Piper, who had accidentally left it in her refrigerator once (why, Annabeth had no idea)- around her eyes. Much better, she thought to herself, examining her work. She grabbed her leather jacket and started to head out to the living room, then stopped. Turning around, Annabeth walked over to her tiny excuse for a closet, and yanked on the door handle. The door always got stuck, so she felt unusually lucky today when it popped open after she tugged on it three times. Leaning down, she plucked her favorite, pitch-black lace-up combat boots from between two pairs of black pumps for work and fancy occasions. After lacing them up and pulling her jacket on, she glanced in the mirror again. Perfect, she thought to herself, smiling smugly. I look totally awesome. And, as a bonus, Percy will never know what hit him. But I don't care about that, the logical part of her brain amended quickly. Because I am not concerned with what he thinks. Because I hate him. I hate him, I hate him, I hate him, she started a mantra (fairly half-heartedly). I hate him.

Piper watched as her friend stepped out of her room. Annabeth, currently glaring, looked like she was ready to start a new job as an extremely successful bounty hunter. All she needed was a gun to complete the ensemble. Annabeth put her hands on her hips, her eyes glinting sharply. "Ready to go?" she asked Piper, with a slight smirk.

"Ready to go where, exactly?"

"To your house, of course. It's time to start planning a wedding," Annabeth said confidently.

"But what about Percy?"

Annabeth pursed her lips and a sharp, deadly edge appeared in her eyes. "He claimed that something did not matter. If it did, indeed, not matter... well, two can play at that game." A frightening smile appeared on her face.

"Ok... just please don't kill him."

"I won't kill him. Scouts honor."

Piper backed up a little bit. "You were never a girl scout, Annie..."

"Yes, Piper. I know that." Annabeth zipped her jacket up, and opened the door. She smirked at her friend."So, are you coming or what?"

Meanwhile, Percy was just walking around the grounds of the McLean mansion with Jason. "What do I do?" Percy continued mournfully. "I didn't mean to kiss her. And then I panicked and told her it didn't mean anything."

Jason's eyes widened. "YOU DID WHAT?!"

"Told her it didn't mean anything..."

Jason face palmed. "Percy. You know better than anyone how I'm bad with figuring out what goes on in the female brain. But even I know not to tell a girl that a kiss DIDN'T MEAN ANYTHING! How stupid are you? I thought you liked her!"

"I do. I have ever since she punched me when we were four..." Percy stared off into the sky wistfully.

"Dude, you seriously need to apologize. Especially since this is Annabeth we're talking about. She is totally going to kill you."

"Again..." Percy said sadly.

Jason's eyes narrowed. "Again?"

"You're right. She is going to actually kill me this time. Last time was only a broken nose, but now..."

"LAST TIME!?"

"Yeah. And I didn't get to apologize for that yet."

Jason groaned. "I don't know, Perce. I don't know. You're on your own for this one. But just let me warn you- Annabeth isn't going to let you off easy."

"Can't I just say sorry?" Percy asked helplessly.

"That's not going to work with Annabeth. You already blew your second chance, for the gods sakes! Good luck, man. I really hope that you survive planning this wedding. It was really nice knowing you." Shaking his head, Jason left his friend sitting on a bench, staring into a fountain with tiny tears in the corners of his eyes.

Annabeth stepped out of the taxi, and started to walk towards the garden as Piper paid the driver. She noticed Percy sitting by a fountain, his head in his hands. She hesitated, then forced her face into the semblance of a smile. "Mr. Jackson?" she asked, placing hand on her hip. Percy's head snapped up at the sound of her voice. His jaw dropped as he took in her outfit. She was the most beautiful thing on the planet, he decided. And scary. She totally looked like she could kill him and still look utterly fabulous doing it too. Annabeth couldn't help but feel a twinge of happiness and pride at his awestruck expression. "Uh, Mr. Jackson?" she said, raising an eyebrow and smirking.

"Huh?"

She rolled her eyes and suppressed a laugh."Mr. Jackson, we need to start planning Piper and Jason's wedding."

"Oh, yes," he shook his head, blushing furiously. "We should head inside." Annabeth turned on her heel and started towards the mansion. Percy stared after her for a few seconds, then trailed after her, wondering how one single person could be so perfect.

Piper, who had gotten into the mansion right after finishing paying the driver (she accidentally gave him a hundred dollar bill instead of ten dollars), was watching the exchange. Geez, she thought. Annabeth can really turn up the charm when she wants to. She barely has to, though. Just look at Percy. He's trailing behind her like a lost, lovestruck puppy. He'd do anything for her. But still... he hurt her, and needs to majorly redeem himself. For the gods' sake, he made Annabeth Chase cry! I think I need to help them along. Piper smiled slightly evilly, cracking her knuckles. "Let Project Percabeth begin." She looked out the window, where Annabeth was now glaring at Percy. Was that a pocket knife glinting inside her jacket, or just one of her pointy blue-print pens? "That is, if she doesn't kill him first..." she corrected herself, glancing at Percy worriedly.

"Project Percabeth?" Jason wrapped his arms around her from behind.

"Jason?!" she exclaimed, turning around to face him. He didn't let go. "How much did you hear?"

"Enough to know that you're planning to get Percy and Annabeth to reconcile," he smiled.

"She loves him, Jace. She has since she was sixteen. This is breaking her heart. She wouldn't even tell me what was wrong yesterday, but she called me to take her home. I knew it had something to do with Percy, though. Annabeth Chase was bawling, Jason. Annabeth freaking Chase had tears pouring down her face!"

Jason's brow furrowed, and he quickly recounted the story Percy had told him. Piper's mouth opened in shock.

"I knew it was bad, but not that bad... this is going to take a lot of work."

"Can your dear husband-to-be help you on your quest?"

"Yes you can." Piper pecked him on the nose. "It might be easier to start with fixing up Percy first. You said that he fell in love with her when he was four, and still won't date anyone?"

"Yeah. It's sort of romantic," Jason said. "Like that movie you made me see? The... Office Supplies or something? The Pencil? The Binder Clip?"

Piper arched an eyebrow. "The Notebook?"

Jason flushed. "Yeah..." Piper laughed, and planted a soft kiss on his lips.

"I love you anyway," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck.

At this point, Annabeth entered the room with Percy following close behind her. She cocked her head to the left. "Hello, lovebirds. What was that about The Notebook?" she asked.

Jason shook his head furiously. "Nothing! Nothing at all!" he said quickly. Percy looked confused, and Annabeth looked at Jason suspiciously. Piper laid her head on Jason's shoulder, holding his hand. "We were just saying that we should give you some of our ideas before you start actually planning the wedding. Let's all go into my sitting room," she smiled angelically. Annabeth raised an eyebrow, but followed Piper anyway.

Piper's sitting room was more of a small-ish living room. It had a large, plush gray couch along one wall, and an ivory colored shag rug on the floor. There was also an armchair similar to Annabeth's. It was her second favorite chair. The light blue walls were decorated with sharpie-d sayings and sketches that Annabeth had idly drawn when she was bored. Piper had contributed her own little hearts and stars as well, so the room was covered in little scribbles, even on the ceiling. It was Annabeth's favorite room in the mansion, and she suspected it was Piper's too. Piper always let Annabeth stay there whenever she slept over, which was often. Piper was always begging Annabeth to move in so she wouldn't be so lonely in the huge house, but Annabeth liked her little apartment and always refused. Their compromise was that Annabeth would come over on weekends and days when she didn't have work, so Annabeth had a second home of sorts.

Annabeth sat on the couch when Piper ran over to the armchair. Piper giggled, and stuck her tongue out at Annabeth, who stuck her tongue out in reply. Jason walked in, and Piper gestured for him to sit with her. "Uh, Piper? There's not much room..." he started.

"Don't be silly," Piper laughed, standing up."Sit down. There's plenty of room. See?" She sat down on his lap and kissed him quickly. Jason wrapped his arms around her, laughing. "I get it now," he smiled. Annabeth smiled at the couple wistfully, wishing that she would have a relationship like that some day. A vision of sea green eyes, soft salty lips, and shaggy black hair rose up in her mind unbidden. NO, she scolded herself. Anybody but... him.

Percy entered the room, and looked around in awe. He walked straight up to a drawing of an owl sitting on a branch by the sea, and gently touched it. "You drew this, didn't you?" he said to Annabeth.

Her eyes widened fractionally, and she replied, "Yes. I did." She silently added: right after I fell for you.

"Sort of like Greek mythology. Poseidon- the sea- and Athena- the owl. Seaweed and wisdom..." Percy trailed off.

Annabeth's mouth opened in shock. She looked at Percy. In his eyes, he seemed to be saying: like you and me.

She quickly said, "Did you know that Poseidon and Athena were rivals? They absolutely hated each other. Well, actually Athena hated Poseidon, but..."

"Seaweed and wisdom," he whispered quietly to himself. "Seaweed and wisdom." Piper watched this exchange with an interested expression. "Remember that, Jace," she whispered to her fiancé. "Something about that sounds familiar..." Jason nodded his assent as he watched Percy sit on the carpet right underneath the sketch.

"So... Percy, Annabeth. About the wedding," Piper started.

"I already sketched a few things you had mentioned in the past," interjected Annabeth, pulling out her blueprints. "Sorry if they're a bit smudged. I... spilled some water on them," she said hesitantly, handing them to Piper. Angling the papers so Jason could see them, Piper flipped through them in amazement. Jason's eyes widened. Though they had a few spots where they were smudged- where tears had fallen, Jason realized- the drawings were beautiful.

"They're perfect!" Jason exclaimed. Piper nodded vigorously.

Annabeth smiled. "That's wonderful. Per... Mr. Jackson and I will have to get started on getting them started immediately. Piper, I will work on the wedding dress with you separately. I swear on the River Styx that this wedding will be perfect."

"You like Greek mythology too?" Percy asked. Annabeth nodded, then proceeded to turn away from him quickly. Piper smiled. A similar interest. That I can work with, she thought happily. "Oh, and Annabeth?" Piper said. "I love your idea about the wedding bells." Annabeth smiled appreciatively, knowing that her friend was thanking her for using something that she knew Annabeth despised. "Thank you, Piper."

Percy smiled to himself, imagining the day when wedding bells would be ringing for him. The same pair of gray eyes from his daydream were staring at him intently, wondering what on earth Percy could be thinking about that could make him smile so happily.


	6. Midnight Snacks

**AAAAHH! I'm so sorry! *dodges bullet and celestial bronze daggers* I wrote a longer chapter to make up for not updating in a while, though... *invisible crowd cheers* **

**Ok. First thing's first. I apologize for not updating, but I needed to read the Blood of Olympus. Review or PM me your thoughts on it! Secondly, I am sorry, but this is a bit of a filler chapter. Please don't kill me- I'll make sure I update faster for the next chapter! And I promise: This story is not going to be so... sad and un-funny all the time. I swear it on the River Styx! *thunder rumbles***

**Thank you again to all my (hopefully!) loyal readers, reviewers, and favorite-rs!**

**Je ne suis pas Rick Riordan. (That's French for "I'm not Rick Riordan.")**

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><p>Annabeth woke up from her terrifying dream of Percy getting married to a faceless bride, hearing the sound of papers being shuffled. Instinctively, she jumped up and judo-flipped the person. Putting them in a tight headlock, Annabeth growled, "Tell me who you are in the next two seconds, and I might not kill you."The person relaxed in her grip, grinning in the darkness.<p>

"It's me, Piper. I couldn't sleep, and came in here to look at some of your blueprints."

"Sorry I attacked you," Annabeth said, turning the lights on.

"Oh, it's fine. I'm sorry I startled you!"

"S'okay. I'm just... a bit on edge. Bad dreams." Annabeth glanced at the drawing of an owl by the sea, and hurt filled her eyes. "Meet me in the kitchen in a bit, would you?" she said, looking at Piper again.

Piper smiled gently, knowing her friend had dreamt about Percy. "Okay. Can I look at the blueprints?"

"Of course. Just don't crumple them!" Annabeth laughed, remembering the time Piper had sat on Annabeth's first assignment for her new firm, ruining both it and her new skirt. And angering Annabeth. Ah, memories. Piper smiled, cautiously grabbed the blueprints, and headed out the door.

Annabeth made no sound as she slipped through the empty hallways towards the kitchen. She entered noiselessly, a soft breeze at her back. Glancing around suspiciously, she narrowed her eyes. She could have sworn that she smelled the scent of the sea. Annabeth shook her head, and sat down on a barstool at the granite counter with a pen. She grabbed a napkin, and started to sketch a wedding dress.

"Hey, there," a voice said from behind her. "You want some pancakes? They're blue, though..." Annabeth whipped around.

"Percy?!" she exclaimed. That explained the slight hint of salt in the air. Her eyes widened for a minute, and she hastily added, "Mr. Jackson, I mean."

He smiled. "Call me Percy." Annabeth hesitated.

"Maybe," she responded. If it doesn't hurt too much to say, she added in her mind.

"Ok. What are you working on?"

"A wedding dress," she replied, not meeting his eyes.

"For Piper?" he asked, glancing over her shoulder.

"Maybe. I... saw something like it in a dream." She shuddered involuntarily at the memory. Percy beaming at another girl. Percy saying I do. Percy kissing another girl with his soft, salty lips-

"Bad dream?" Percy's voice shook from her thoughts.

A ghost of a smile appeared on Annabeth's lips at the irony of the situation. The reason for her bad dreams was asking her if she had a nightmare. "You could say so," she muttered. Percy sat down on the barstool next to her. He gasped when he saw Annabeth's drawing.

"That's the dress you saw!?" he exclaimed, his eyes widening in shock.

Annabeth raised an eyebrow at him. "Yes," she responded cautiously.

Percy fumbled for words to hide his surprise. "It's... very beautiful, that's all." What he didn't say was that he had a dream too, but it wasn't bad. Last night he had dreamt of Annabeth walking up the aisle in a very similar dress- maybe the same one!- and saying 'I do'. She said "I do" to me, Percy thought giddily. If only she would fall in love with me in real life. If only she didn't hate me as much as I love her.

Annabeth sighed, seeing the bittersweet expression on his face. "I could go for a blue pancake," she said, hoping that the darkness of the room would prevent the potentially married-or-engaged Percy from seeing the tiny tears gathering in the corners of her eyes.

"Oh. Yes, of course. Two blue pancakes, coming up!" he laughed, giving her a mock bow. He could have sworn that he saw tears glinting in her eyes in the streak of moonlight shining through the window. Percy fought the urge to wipe them away. Anything for you, he wanted to say to her. I would do anything for you. Not just trivial things as simple as pancakes at 2:00 in the morning. I'd do anything if you wanted me to, he thought. And Percy meant it with all of his soul. Annabeth watched him from behind as he made his way over to the cabinets, searching for ingredients. She thought of the night before, when he zoned out. Could he have been thinking about a girl? When he saw the dress design, could he have been thinking of how beautiful it would look on her? Annabeth had to pinch her nose to keep from crying. STOP, she yelled at herself mentally. You don't care if he has a girlfriend. You don't care if he's getting married. It's just another reason to hate him. He shouldn't have kissed you if he had a girlfriend. A tiny voice inside of her seemed to respond: he might not have a girlfriend.

Percy jumped when he accidentally dropped the pan, startling Annabeth. She couldn't help herself from asking, "Are you okay?"

Percy turned to her, smiling sheepishly. "Yeah... sorry about that. Did I startle you?"

"No," she replied, turning back to her drawing.

After a few minutes of silence passed, Percy blurted,"So, I was thinking about your drawing. The one I saw yesterday?"

Annabeth winced, making a stray mark on her sketch. She pursed her lips and sketched the skirt around it, making it look like a shadow on the dress. "The owl one?" she asked, not looking up from her work.

"Yeah. I was thinking about Poseidon and Athena. They couldn't have been rivals all of the time, could they?"

Annabeth hesitated before responding, "They hated each other for all of eternity, except for one time."

"So they worked together once?" persisted Percy.

"Yes. They made the chariot together. Athena made the designs and created the wood, and Poseidon made the horses." They lapsed back into silence. Could I forgive him? Annabeth wondered, watching Percy putting a large amount of blue food coloring into the pancake batter. Percy was wondering the same thing. Could she forgive me? Can we be the opposite of Poseidon and Athena, and work together all of the time, except for this one fight? Could I ever win her back? Or will she hate me for eternity?

"Here you are, madam," Percy said with a smile and a mock bow. "Two blue pancakes, à la Percy."

Annabeth stifled a laugh, and said, "Thank you."

"Anytime, milady." Percy whipped out a can of whipped cream, and put some on her dish. This time Annabeth couldn't help from smiling at the childish smiley face he had drawn on her pancakes. He sat down next to her with a plate of his own.

"Three pancakes? Really, Percy?" She raised an eyebrow at his dish.

Percy stopped for a moment, considering her question with his fork halfway to his mouth. "I'm a growing boy, and need food?" Annabeth shook her head, smiling, and focused back on her pancake. Taking a bite, she gasped in delight.

"This is the best pancake I've ever had! Did you make this from scratch?"

"Yeah," Percy responded, blushing and rubbing the back of his neck.

A disturbing thought occured to Annabeth, and the smile disappeared from her face. She asked in a guarded tone, "So... did your girlfriend give you this recipe?"

Percy cocked his head to the left, and looked at her quizzically. "It's my mom's recipe. And I'm not in a relationship," he said, watching to see if she reacted. You're the reason I'm not in a relationship, he wanted to tell her. He wanted so badly to explain to her how he felt. You're the only person I've ever fallen in love with, Annabeth Chase.

Annabeth let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding, and her small smile reappeared. I don't care if he is involved with anyone, she scolded herself. I hate him, I hate him, I hate him..."Anyway, I'm glad that you enjoyed your pancakes," Percy laughed. She glanced at her plate.

"I finished them already?" she asked in surprise.

Percy shrugged. "I guess you were hungry. It is 2:15 in the morning. Do you usually wake up this early?"

"I do when people are messing with my blueprints."

"What do you mean?"

"If I hear someone looking through my stuff, I instinctively judo-flip them. And Piper happened to have a case of wedding-planning-insomnia..." Annabeth said casually.

"Why am I not surprised? Annabeth Chase, you haven't changed a bit," he declared.

"And neither have you," she replied with a smirk. "You still have the mental capabilities of seaweed. Except for your pancake-making skills, which I must say are quite good." But really, you have changed, Percy wanted to say. He wanted to take her into his arms right then, and hug her. You've changed so much, he so desperately thought. You're even more beautiful now, at 2:00 in the morning, then you ever have been before. I've watched you grow up in formal dresses. But with your hair up in a messy bun, old pajamas on, and no makeup on at all- I love you more than ever.

"Annabeth, I was looking at your designs and- oh! Percy! I, uh... didn't see you there," Piper said, stopping short in the kitchen doorway, watching Percy staring at Annabeth with a longing look in his eyes. Mentally cursing herself for interrupting a potential "moment", she turned to Annabeth. "You've eaten?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at the empty plate in front of Annabeth.

"Yep. I made her pancakes," Percy said proudly.

Piper looked incredulous."You got her to eat!?"

Percy's nose wrinkled in confusion. Annabeth silently noted that he looked adorable when he did that. NO. I DO NOT FIND PERSEUS JACKSON ADORABLE! she screamed in her head. I hate him, I hate him, I hate him... "Why wouldn't she want to eat?" Percy asked.

"She usually grabs a coffee and maybe some toast before work, a small sandwich for lunch if she's able to step away from her blueprints, and a light dinner. I can barely get her to eat at all! She's always working, nonstop. It's always go, go, go with this one," she gestured to Annabeth, who was blushing to her roots.

"I eat," she protested. Percy was looking at her with evident concern in his eyes, his eyes sparkling like the sea in the moonlight.

"Do you need more pancakes?"

"Uh..." Annabeth tried not to sway with the rhythm of the tiny waves in his eyes. "No thank you. I'm fine."

"Ok..." Percy said, watching her out of the corner of his eyes. Piper rolled her eyes. Ah, love. Or hate, depending on Annabeth's mood. She glanced at Annabeth, who was currently glaring at her empty plate accusingly, as if it had personally offended her. Piper suppressed a groan. Apparently it's hate right now, she thought ruefully. Why did I haev to interrupt them?

Piper was just trying to think of an acceptable and non-suspicious-sounding excuse to leave the kitchen when Jason stumbled into the kitchen and did a double take, making Piper laugh. Jason's brow furrowed in confusion."Uh, did I miss something? Is it morning?"

"Nope!" Piper said cheerfully, pecking him on the lips. "It's two-thirty in the morning. We're all up waaaaaay too early. Except for Annabeth. This is late for her. I think she's an owl or something. I swear that girl is nocturnal." She shook her head at Annabeth, and stuck her tongue out. Annabeth returned the face, and Percy giggled. Anabeth turned to face him.

"What's so funny?" she asked, her eyes glinting. Even though there was a teasing tone to her voice, anyone who knew Annabeth could recognize the warning in her eyes. But Percy didn't seem to notice Piper silently screaming at him to tread lightly.

Percy grinned widely. "Annabeth Chase is having fun! Annabeth Chase stuck out her tongue at someone!" he laughed delightedly.

Annabeth's eyes flashed with a stab of pain and anger. "I punched you twice, quite successfully both times, if I remember correctly. So why would't I be capable of sticking my tongue out at someone?" she asked Percy quietly, looking him straight in the eyes. Piper mentally face-palmed. Jason met her eye, and they both started to back up towards the door. We need to talk, Piper mouthed to him. Jason nodded. They watched as their friends stared into each other's eyes.

In that moment, it seemed to Annabeth that nobody existed in the universe except for her and Percy. Looking into her eyes, Percy felt all of her unshed tears as though they were his own. I hurt her, he realized. I hurt her so much, that everything hurts. I have to fix this. This is all my fault. But somehow I still love her more than life itself. Tears pooled in his eyes, as Annabeth's mouth opened in shock. Mirrored in his dark eyes, deep as the sea itself, Annabeth's memories flooded over her. She saw a little girl in a poofy dress, ordering a smiling little Percy around. She saw her eyes, laughing, reflected in the teenager Percy's, which were seemingly glowing in the light of lanterns all around as he leaned closer and...

Annabeth turned away quickly. Any remnants of a smile on Percy's face had faded, and he turned away from her too. "I've... got to work on something," Annabeth stammered. Anything other than being around Percy. She got up abruptly, and turned to face him for a final moment. "Thank you for the pancakes, Percy," she said. Her voice sounded pained, even to her own ears. She turned and ran past Piper and Jason into the hall, frantically repeating her mantra in her mind. I hate him, I hate him, I hate him... How could one innocent little boy give me such anguish?

Piper grabbed Jason's hand. They watched as Percy picked up Annabeth's pen, and drew something on the sketch she had made. He slowly got up, and walked over to the window. Piper could see tears pooled in his eyes, glittering in the fading moonlight. "I will fix this," he whispered a silent oath to the rising sun. "Because I love her."

Percy turned from the window, and walked past Jason and Piper silently, not even noticing his friends. Once he turned the corner at the end of the hall, Piper pulled Jason into the kitchen. "I want to see what he drew," Piper said, tugging on Jason's arm.

"What if it's private?" he asked, looking at the napkin warily.

Piper gasped. "It's not private. Look at this!" Jason leaned over her shoulder, looking at Annabeth's sketch. Below it was a little drawing of two wedding bells and a little message. _For my Wise Girl_, the scrawl read. _Because nobody will ever be as beautiful as you, even in this perfect dress you designed. I know you'll never see this, but at least I got some of this off my chest. _Piper looked at Jason, who had a tear rolling down his cheek. "That's beautiful," he said.

"We have to help them," Piper decided, picking up the napkin. "We have to give them the happily-ever-after they deserve.


	7. Flowers: When Piper Met Jason

**I'm so sorry about the lateness of this. I promise I'll get another chapter up really soon. If you've read any of my other stories, you might know I have PTSD, and am in the process of recovering. I just had a bit of a difficult time this week, and couldn't get to updating. Every little comment you guys give me helps me more than you could know. Thank you so much, my readers. I am truly in your debt.**

**On a slightly brighter note, you now have a new, rather long chapter to sink your teeth into! Yay! R&R please! It's greatly appreciated.**

**I am not Rick Riordan, because I am not too evil. (If you want to discuss The Blood of Olympus with me, feel free to PM me! Fangirling/boy-ing totally allowed! Yay!) Enjoy this update!**

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><p>DING DONG, DING DONG- Annabeth sat up, drenched in a cold sweat. She glared at her phone accusingly, which was continuing with it's all-too-happy, obnoxious alarm. Turning the volume off, she checked the time. 4:15. She leaped out of bed, grabbed her backpack, and sprinted for the bathroom. "I'm late!" she frantically whispered to herself, as she pulled on her jeans. Rifling through her backpack, Annabeth suppressed the urge to scream at Piper. Her blueprints for the wedding weren't in their nice, perfectly organized file. So last night hadn't been a terrible, terrible dream: it was just a terrible, terrible trick called reality. Pulling on her combat boots, she managed to check the time again. 4:21. Annabeth buttoned up her black blazer, and smirked at herself in the mirror. "This will have to do. This girl is going to make Peercy Jackson pay." She twisted her hair into a professional-looking bun, and returned to her sketch room. (Even though it was technically Piper's little living room, they both agreed that it was Annabeth's. And since there were no complaints from Mr. McLean, the room was unoficially christened "Annabeth's sketch room".) Annabeth grabbed a sketch pen and pad, and set off towards the kitchen. 4:25, she thought smugly to herself, looking at a clock on the wall. I slept in late, and still got ready on time.<p>

Piper tried to roll over, and found that she couldn't. "Jason," she mumbled to her fiancé. "I can't move." Jason was sleeping deeply, and hugged her tighter to him. "Jace... I've got to get up." She looked at his arm wrapped around her waist, trapping her close to him."You know what?" she said to herself. "Maybe Annabeth can wait..." She curled into Jason's side contentedly, and re-wrapped the covers around them again. Jason smiled in his sleep.

Annabeth was sitting on a barstool, staring at the container of blue food coloring perched on the counter. It seemed to be laughing at her, mocking her. Such a simple reminder of Percy shouldn't hurt so much, it seemed to say. You said you didn't care about him... She turned to the window, and watched the sun rising over the majestic McLean gardens. Dawn glittered on the tiny dewdrops dusting everything, creating the guise of sparkling, priceless crystals. The world was awash with colors, each more beautiful then the next. There were beautiful pinks, soft yellows, light lavenders, and roses of sweet ivories and whites. There was a glittering, sea-green lake, surrounded by dark bushes, matching the shades of Percy's eyes and hair exactly. He would have been completely hidden, if not for him laying on the sandy shore of the lake. Annabeth's eyes widened. Laying on the shore of the lake? She cursed, and headed for the door, throwing her hands up in the air exasperatedly. "Why? WHY IS IT ALWAYS ME WHO HAS TO BE A NICE PERSON?!"

The first thing Percy saw when he woke up was a pair of very angry gray eyes above him. He jumped up. "Annabeth?" he asked. She ignored him, and began to list things on her fingers.

"You're not dead, you don't show any signs of increased stupidity, so probably no concussion, and you can apparently move, so no frostbite. My good deed for the day is done! Have a nice morning, and don't be late for work," she said frostily, turning on her heel. She started walking up the shore back towards the mansion. "By the way, you owe me twenty dollars and thirty-one cents. It's not easy making sure that people are alive, especially when they're as seaweed-brained as you!" she sang over her shoulder. Percy rubbed his head. His only thought was: Wow... she's gorgeous. He stared at the surface of the lake, watching tiny fish swim to and fro. I wish I could start every day like this, he thought to himself. The first thing I'd see in the morning would be the most beautiful thing in the world: Annabeth. Percy sighed, and splashed water on his face. Twenty dollars was so worth it for a wakeup call like that.

"Jason..." Piper mumbled sleepily. "We should probably get up now."

"Five more minutes?" he whined, pulling her closer. Piper flipped over, and poked her finger at his face.

"You little liar!" she laughed, and swatted his face. "You weren't really asleep, were you?"

"Nope," Jason replied, smiling cheekily. "But I'd do anything- even lie- for a little extra cuddling time with my lovely wife-to-be." Piper shook her head.

"Come here," she smiled, pulling him in for a kiss. A few minutes later, she pulled away. "Ok, now we've got to get up," she waved her finger in his face.

"One more?" Jason pouted. Piper hesitated, then smiled.

"Fine. But then we're getting up." She pecked him on the lips, then jumped out of bed giggling.

"That doesn't count!" Jason protested, chasing after her around the bed and into the bathroom. Piper was at the end of the room, looking for an escape. Jason walked up to her, panting and out of breath. He put his arms around her, smiling. "Now, this, is a kiss." He leaned in and kissed her. A while later, Jason smiled against Piper's lips. "Now I'm ready to get up," Jason grinned at her.

Annabeth looked up from her seat on the barstool as Jason walked in with Piper on his back, both of them laughing hysterically. Annabeth raised an eyebrow. "A piggy-back ride? Really?"

"It's fun!" Piper said from her perch, giggling. Annabeth shook her head, smiling at the couple's antics. They were the most adorable couple ever, she decided. And I know that they will always be there for each other. I'm so happy my best friend found such a wonderful guy. I wish someone like that would just show up for me... At this point, Percy staggered in the door from the garden, his face dripping with water. "Uh... sorry if I'm getting your floor wet," he said sheepishly, turning red. Annabeth rolled her eyes in disgust. Piper watched this with interest. Percy saw Annabeth looking at him accusingly, and self-consciously tried to smooth out his crumpled shirt.

Jason tilted his head, and asked,"Uh... did you sleep outside, Perce?" Percy rubbed the back of his neck.

"Yeah, I couldn't fall back to sleep after... my midnight snack-breakfast-thing," he finished lamely.

"Oh." Jason stared at his feet with newfound interest. Piper clapped her hands, and giggled nervously.

"So, does anyone want breakfast?"

A little while later, everyone was seated at the round table on the large veranda overlooking the garden. Annabeth placed her blueprints on the table, and took out her notebook and a pen. "So, Piper," she started. "What is your theme for this wedding? As you can see, I have sketched out a few vague ideas for your convenience." The group gasped as she spread her work across the table. There were sketches of weddings at beaches, by a fountain in the McLean gardens, in a church with soaring ceilings overhead, at the top of the Statue of Liberty, and even one by the little pond in the woods. Annabeth had also drawn over thirty different dress designs for Piper, each one more gorgeous then the next. "I LOVE THIS ONE!" Piper squealed, and grabbed one of the dress designs.

It was secretly one of Annabeth's favorites- not anything that she would wear personally, but one that she thought would look amazing on Piper. The design was fairly simple: it was a floor length white dress, with tiny elegant straps. The bodice form fitting and ruched from the bosom to the waist, and continuing down one hip and thigh to the back of the dress, where it flowed into the two-and-a-half foot train like a waterfall. The lower part of the front of the dress consisted of smooth white satin, with a tulle lining underneath the skirt. There was also a little diamond rose that rested just below the bottom of the v-neck (which did not dip too deeply, as Piper hated low necklines. She also hated dressing up too much, so the dress was perfect in that respect- simple yet elegant.). Annabeth smiled at her friend's awestruck expression. "I'll show you the corresponding bridesmaid dresses later, Pipes. But first thing's first- you need to choose a venue and a theme!" She clapped her hands together. "Any ideas?"

"I'm leaning towards this one," Jason pointed to the one of the McLean gardens shyly. "I've always loved the grounds here. And Piper and I met because of some flowers." Annabeth smiled at the memory.

Annabeth had just finished work for the day, and was taking a walk with Piper around Central Park. There was one incident with a mugger in Harlem who tried to steal Piper's purse, but Annabeth had grabbed his arm and snapped the bone in half. Needless to say, the man went running off, screaming, and no other muggers came near them. Later on, Piper and Annabeth had sat on a bench by one of the fountains, gazing at the sun starting to set. "Is that Piper McLean?" they heard a shrill voice shriek. "OMG! It is! PIPER McLEAN IS OVER BY THE FOUNTAIN!" Suddenly, a swarm of screaming girls burst from the surrounding trees. It was all Annabeth could do to keep them from stampeding Piper, who was trying to slap as many of her fans as she could. But in the end, it wasn't Annabeth who chased all the girls off. (It was Annabeth who chased all but one of the screaming make-up-wearing-Piper-loving-psychopaths away, but that's besides the point.) A flash of bright red worked it's way through the crowd towards Piper and Annabeth. It was a handsome man who sort of looked like a blonde version of Superman. He was carrying a large bouquet of slightly wilted red roses. "Uh, do you need some help?" he asked, blushing. Piper glared at him scarily, standing on top of the bench. Surprisingly enough, Piper could be rather scary when you annoyed her.

"Did you just ask me if I need some help?! HUH? BLONDIE? DID YOU JUST ASK ME IF I NEED SOME HELP?! DID YOU?!" she screamed at him, her face turning red. A fangirl noticed Piper's distraction, and tried to sneak behind her. Blondie, as Piper had nicknamed him, reached out with his roses and whacked the crazed fan in the face without blinking an eye.

"Sorry," he said to his feet. "I couldn't let the most beautiful girl I ever met get killed by a creepy person."

Piper huffed, and her hands clenched into tight fists. Annabeth smiled. Piper would be fine. Annabeth started to fight off the maniacs, and Piper took a step closer to Blondie.

"Do you know who I am?" she whispered to him dangerously.

Blondie looked confused."Uh, no?"

Now it was Piper's turn to look confused. "Wait? You mean that you aren't here because of the paparazzi and nutty fans?"

"Paparazzi? Are you famous? Should I know you? Are you going to sue me because I said you were gorgeous? My name is Jason Grace, if you need it for legal issues. Is your bodyguard going to kill me?"

Piper smiled, and Jason looked concerned. "First of all, she's my best friend. Second of all... your name is Jason. I like that. And you like me for me?" she asked, her smile growing wider.

He rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah," he mumbled. Piper jumped off of the bench into his arms. Jason looked startled, but caught her in his arms. He made a move to put her down, but she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Jason," she whispered. And that was when Piper and Jason shared their picture-perfect first kiss.

At that point, Annabeth had taken the hint, and walked behind the lovebirds all the way back to the subway, just to make sure they didn't get themselves killed. "Mr. Grace," Annabeth said sharply, glancing at her phone screen.

"Yes?" he replied, his arm still wrapped around Piper.

"I have just completed a thorough background check on you, and I would appreciate it if you would answer a few questions to verify your identity."

Jason turned to Piper. "And you're sure she's not your bodyguard or something."

"I grew up on an army base, and was groomed for the FBI. I decided to change my mind about my career at the last minute, but the FBI still counts me as a top consultant, and an unofficial employee. I know how to kill a man with one touch. And Piper is my best friend. So if you dare hurt her, I will not hesitate to snap your neck. Do you understand?" Annabeth smiled sweetly. Jason was as white as a sheet. Annabeth cleared her throat. "Anyways, now for my questions. Are you or are you not the brother of Thalia Grace."

Jason's brow furrowed. "Yes, I am. But she died when I was little."

"So that's what they told you. Okay, moving on. What is your biological father's real name?"

Piper rolled her eyes. "Do you really need to do this, Annie?" she whined. Annabeth ignored her, and fixed a pointed glare at Jason, who gulped.

"Jupiter Romanus Zeus. He never married my mother."

"That's fine for now. You can take my friend home. But remember, especially if she gets hurt tonight- I know everything about you, and I have many friends in high places. I can see everything you do." ANnabeth turned to Piper. "Toodles," she smiled, and walked off.

"Your friend is scary," Jason said, watching Annabeth walk up the stairs from the subway stop.

Piper followed his gaze, and set her head on his shoulder. "I know. But I won't let her kill you. I like you too much."

Jason looked at her, and held up the broken remainders of the rose bouquet.

"Do you want some roses?" Piper laughed, and pulled him in for a sweet kiss.

Percy coughed. "Um, Annabeth?"

"What?" she snapped.

He blushed. "Just making sure you were awake." She huffed, and turned to Jason and Piper, who were staring into each others eyes lovingly.

"Ok, you two. We'll take a break for now, but if you do anything bad, I'm telling Thalia. And she won't hesitate to pull her gun on you." Jason paled at the mention of Thalia, his sister, and Annabeth's other best friend. They had grown up on the army base together, but Jason had moved away, and Thalia actually ended up in the FBI. Annabeth had revealed that Thalia was still alive after she got to know Jason better. It was customary for the agency to wipe a person from existence before giving them high profile jobs. Thalia worked as a spy and sniper, so she was rarely around, and her work was very secretive. But Annabeth was making sure that she would come to her little brother's wedding.

"Okay, guys!" Annabeth clapped her hands together. "Time for an early lunch." Percy's stomach growled, and she glared at him in response.

"Sorry," he said sheepishly. Annabeth rolled her eyes and stalked off towards the kitchen with the sound of tiny little wedding bells ringing in her ears.

"Shut up," she muttered to herself. "Stupid wedding bells. They're almost as bad as Percy Jackson himself."


	8. Coffee and Notebooks

**Sorry I'm late! This is a bit of a filler chapter, but fun things are coming soon. Thank you again to all of my loyal readers, reviewers, followers, and favoriters. I LOVE YOU ALL!**

**I'm still not Rick Riordan. Or a demigod. *sigh***

**Enjoy!**

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><p>Annabeth yanked Piper's pantry door open, and grabbed a bag of fancy Italian coffee from the shelf. She poured some of the grinds into the coffee machine, and waited for it to brew. "Come on come on come on come on come on," she said, tapping her foot impatiently.<p>

"Annabeth?" Percy's voice asked from behind her. "What are you doing?"

Annabeth swore under her breath. "Getting coffee. I'm just leaving, thank you very much," she said frostily, turning around. Her eyes widened as she found herself nose-to-nose with Percy.

"What's going on here?" Piper's incredulous voice said from the doorway. Annabeth stepped to the side awkwardly, her eyes still wide.

"Nothing," she said quickly. Her eyes flashed with anger as she looked at Percy's face for a moment. "Unless there was supposed to be." Percy's mouth opened slightly, and his eyes grew sad. But he didn't say anything. "That's what I thought," Annabeth said with a wry smile, a tear sparkling in the corner of her eye. She blinked, and her eyes looked as if she had never shed a tear in her life. "It's always nothing, isn't it, Seaweed Brain." Grabbing her cup of coffee without shattering the mug took almost all of Annabeth's willpower. It was also a great task not to stomp all the way out the door or scream, but she was not going to give Percy the satisfaction of seeing her upset. "Point one Annabeth, no points Percy," she muttered, a small smile spreading over her face. She took a sip of her still-warm coffee, and smiled evilly. "Perfect."

Percy gazed after Annabeth longingly, a faraway look in his eyes. "Wake up, lover-boy," Piper snapped at him. "You realize that you just blew this chance to redeem yourself! You could have run after and apologized!"

"She's so pretty, even when she's angry," Percy murmured. Piper smacked him on the head.

"You could have been kissing her right now! You could both be HAPPY right now, you idiot! BUT YOU JUST MADE IT WORSE!"

"Annabeth's always pretty, though..." he sighed.

"JASON!" Piper screamed in frustration. "GET IN HERE." Jason skidded into the kitchen, panting. He glanced at Percy smiling up at the ceiling with his eyes glazed over.

"Uh, honey... what's going on?" he asked cautiously, making his way over to Piper, who looked as if she was about to scream again.

"Your. Stupid. Friend. Just. Blew. It. AGAIN."

"Annabeth forgot to hate me a little bit. She called me Seaweed Brain," Percy said dreamily. Piper smacked him on the head again, and Jason winced in sympathy. At least she wasn't carrying a stiletto right now, Jason thought to himself, subconsciously rubbing his head at the unpleasant memory of their first fight.

"AND HE WON'T SHUT UP. MAKE HIM STOP." She stamped her foot, and snapped her fingers in Percy's face. "HAVE YOU HEARD ANYTHING I SAID?"

Percy shook his head and looked at Piper confusedly. "Um, Piper... are you okay? You look a bit mad. Did I do something wrong?" Piper face palmed.

"Jason, deal with this. I need some caffeine, stat." She walked off towards the pantry, and Jason turned to Percy.

"What did you do to get her so angry?"

"Maybe it was because I had a chance to apologize to Annabeth and I didn't know what to say so I didn't run after her," Percy said sadly. "And now she hates me more." Jason sat on one of the barstools and patted the one beside him. Percy sat down sullenly.

"We need to give you some How-To-Talk-To-Annabeth-Especially-When-She's-Super-Angry lessons."

"That's a thing?"

"Yes, it is," Piper laughed evilly, entering the room with a large stack of notecards. She slapped down on the counter in front of Percy. "Let the learning begin." Percy gulped and nodded slowly.

"Ok... as long as I don't die."

"Well, I can't promise you that, but we'll certainly try!" Piper smirked as Percy's face paled.

Annabeth sat down by the lake, twirling a stray curl that had fallen into her face. She took a sip of her now slightly chilled coffee. Why did Percy Jackson have to be so darn adorable, with those sea green eyes and baby seal expression? What did he really do that was so bad? He said that the kiss didn't matter, she reasoned with herself, frowning. But that was so long ago, her heart protested. NO, her mind screamed. You saw the hurt in his eyes in the kitchen, her heart reminded her. He deserved it after the pain he caused you, her brain retorted. Her heart tutted. Did he really? YES HE DID, her brain screamed. But you could forgive him, right? her heart asked. Annabeth frowned at herself once more. You would forgive him right now if he ran up to you and apologized, her logical self whined. I might, her heart admitted. Annabeth sighed. I'll make a compromise with myself, she decided. I'll wait until Piper's wedding. If Percy apologizes to me anytime before that night is over, then my heart will win, and I'll forgive him. But of course there's a but. If he doesn't apologize before then, the rational part of my brain will win. This time I'll really forget that he ever existed. I swear it on the River Styx. Annabeth huffed. "He better apologize soon," she muttered under her breath.

Piper and Jason were just finishing up their second PowerPoint presentation for a frightened-looking Percy when Annabeth walked into the kitchen."What's going on here?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. Piper smiled widely and stepped in front of her laptop, closing the lid slowly. "Nothing..." she giggled. Annabeth pursed her lips.

"And by "nothing", you mean..."she prompted. Piper wrinkled her nose at Annabeth.

"Fine. We were just... pulling up some photos of wedding bells to annoy you!" Annabeth rolled her eyes.

"Stop fooling around. We have some work to do." Piper stuck her tongue out at Annabeth and ran off down the hall. Annabeth laughed and shook her head. "When will that girl ever grow up?" She turned around, and her face hardened. "Come on, people. The lovebirds need to choose a venue for their wedding." Annabeth spun on her heel and walked off in the direction Piper was heading.

Percy sighed, putting his chin on his hands. "What am I supposed to do, Jason?" Jason smiled at his friend sympathetically.

"Step One: Be super nice, no matter how angry she gets. Just try not to get shot or stabbed."

"SHOT?! Or STABBED?!"

"Did you watch either of the PowerPoints?"

"Maybe..." Percy smiled sheepishly. Jason face palmed.

"Let's just hope you don't get killed. Good luck, buddy. You're going to need it." Jason stood up, shook his head, and headed into the hallway.

Annabeth sat down in the large armchair across from Piper. The McLean library was huge, and one of Annabeth's favorite places in the world. Sunlight glittered from the tall windows and danced along the spines of thousands of books. Piper had begged her father for it when she and Annabeth were in college, claiming that she needed a nice place to study. But they both knew that it was just to surprise Annabeth. The massive room was cheerfully known as Annabeth's library, as Annabeth could always be found in the Greek architecture section, her nose firmly planted in a book.

"How are you holding up?" Piper asked Annabeth, who had an odd look on her face. Annabeth waved her hand at Piper absentmindedly.

"Oh, I'm positively peachy."

"Positively peachy? Really, Annie?"

"Don't call me Annie," she said, reaching for her bag that she had retrieved from the veranda.

"ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE-"

"Beauty queen." Piper's eyes narrowed as a small smile formed on Annabeth's face.

"Oh no you didn't."

"Oh yes I did."

"ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE ANNIE-"

"Piper? What are you doing?" Jason asked quizzically, entering the room. Piper smiled at him angelically.

"We were just kidding around. Come on, we need to pick a color scheme and a theme!" Jason groaned as Piper clapped her hands together happily. He grinned, and started to walk towards her chair. Piper squealed in delight as Jason scooped her up into his arms. She pecked him on the nose, and he smiled. Jason sat down on the armchair, and pulled a giggling Piper onto his lap. Annabeth laughed at her friend's antics.

"Save it for the honeymoon, guys," she said, raising an eyebrow at the couple.

"Save what for the honeymoon?" Percy's voice asked from the door. Jason blushed.

"Nothing," he said quickly. Percy looked suspicious, but didn't say anything.

Annabeth cleared her throat loudly as Percy gingerly sat in the armchair next to her."So. Since you decided upon holding the wedding here in the gardens, I created a few extra blueprints." She glanced at Percy. "Would you mind handing these to Piper?" Percy stared at her, an awestruck expression on his face.

"Of course I would," he stammered. I would do anything for you, he silently added. Piper pinched his hand as he gave her the blueprints.

"Try to be a bit more suave. Think Casablanca or The Notebook," she hissed. Suave? Percy thought. What's suave? Is a notebook suave? How am I supposed to act like a bunch of paper? Percy sighed. This was going to take a lot of work.

Annabeth looked quickly between Percy and Piper. What had she said that had confused him so much? Annabeth pursed her lips. "Do you like my ideas for the wedding bells? I thought that custom floral designs would make the occasion more personal and special," she said. Piper squealed.

"IT'S PERFECT! You and Percy can start working tomorrow!"

Percy furrowed his eyebrows. "Flickflickflickflickflick," he said quickly. Everybody turned to stare at him.

"Uh, are you all right, Percy?" Jason asked, looking concerned. "Do you need to see a doctor?"

"I was being a notebook!" Percy said proudly, looking at Piper for approval. She face palmed.

"A notebook?" Annabeth said slowly, seeing Piper's response. Piper looked up for a moment, startled.

"Uh... YES, notebook. He means that you and I should work on the bridesmaid dresses. In a notebook. Yeah. TOTALLY. Let's go!" she said quickly. Annabeth raised an eyebrow, and shook her head.

"Ok, fine. We'll go work on the dresses. But this isn't over." Piper threw a pointed glare at Percy as she and Annabeth walked out the door. Percy gulped. Jason looked at him incredulously.

"A notebook? Really, Perce?"


	9. Dresses and Disasters

**I am so proud of myself. TWO CHAPTERS IN ONE DAY! (This is a life acheivement right here, people.)**

**I would like to give a special thank you to the people who reviewed in the past 12 hours, especially the guest named DayDreamer. You guys don't know how much your comments mean to me- even if they're just a smiley face! I love you all, so here is your super special gift- another chapter! (Yay!)**

**I am not Rick Riordan. (That's how you say "I'm not Rick Riordan" in English. Cool, huh?)**

**Enjoy! (::)**

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><p>Annabeth sat down on Piper's old Hello Kitty bedspread (an old joke from college), and looked around the bedroom. It hadn't changed much in all the years Annabeth had known her friend. There was the stuffed toy cornucopia that they had found on the army base after Thanksgiving one year, still sitting in it's place of honor on Piper's night table. All of Piper's teen boy band posters had been torn down when Jason had come around, so hanging in their place was a large picture of the happy couple sitting on a rock as they took a break from hiking. Annabeth smiled as her eyes turned to Piper's bookshelf. Annabeth always teased Piper about having no books on a perfectly good bookshelf, but the piece of furniture was one of her favorite things about Piper's room. It had been made by their good friend Leo (who had named it Buford II), and was now a shrine to Piper and Annabeth's years of friendship. It was covered with tiny souvenirs, magazine clippings, and pictures of the two of them throughout the years. There were always new photos appearing on it. Piper had given up trying to keep them all in frames years ago, so the bookshelf was covered in layers of loose photos and strips of peeling duct tape. It was basically a giant scrapbook in the shape of bookshelf.<p>

Piper slipped into the room silently, and Annabeth patted the spot beside her sharply without even looking away from the bookshelf. Piper rolled her eyes and sat down slowly as Annabeth turned to face her.

"Annie, why are you smiling your creepy-calm smile?" she asked cautiously. Annabeth's complacent, yet regal smile stayed glued firmly in it's place.

"What did you say to Percy about a notebook?" she asked calmly. Piper's eyes flashed with fear. Could Annabeth know? She was certainly smart enough to figure it out, Piper thought, but it should have taken at least a little longer. They had been so careful in hiding it from her! Piper laughed nervously.

"I, uh, told you already. Percy thought we should work on the bridesmaid dresses. So that it would be one less thing for us to worry about. Yeah," she stammered. Annabeth continued to smile.

"That's not what I asked you," she said with a slightly condescending tone. "I asked what you said." Piper gulped, and looked around her room frantically, as if searching for an excuse to leave. Her eyes caught on the little dove necklace Annabeth had given her for her birthday.

"I lied," she said quickly. Annabeth's perfect smile did not waver.

"Continue."

"Percy was helping me figure out what to get you for being my maid of honor, and he came up with the idea of giving you a new notebook, because he knows that you like to draw-" Annabeth wasn't convinced, but she decided that she had scared Piper enough today. She let her mouth relax into a normal smile.

"Alright," she laughed. "I'll pretend I never heard anything." Piper let out a huge breath in relief.

"You know, you're really scary when you do that whole calm-and-in-control thing. It's truly frightening how you manage to show no emotions. The FBI lost a valuable employee," she giggled. Annabeth smiled.

"Who says I don't help them out from time to time?" Annnabeth pulled a pen out from her bag. She looked up at Piper. "Well, what are you waiting for? Let's design some bridesmaid dresses!"

Back in the library, Jason was cracking up. "A notebook," he laughed. "Seriously? You were trying to impress Annabeth by embracing your inner office supply." Percy looked offended.

"That's what Piper told me to do." Jason shook his head once more.

"I'll let her deal with this. But first, you've got to help me start my half of the guest list." Percy frowned, and Jason sighed. "Fine. We'll watch Finding Nemo tonight. Happy?" Percy beamed.

"YEAH! Can we make some pizza first?" Percy's stomach growled loudly, and he had the decency to look slightly ashamed.

"Oh, Percy. What are we going to do with you?"

Annabeth was pretty sure that the whole state of New York could hear Piper squealing. Plugging her ears, she sat on the bed and waited patiently. After a few minutes, she determined that it was safe to try and speak to Piper. "PIPER." Piper looked down at Annabeth in surprise.

"When did you sit down?"

"Ten minutes ago. Are you done screaming?" Piper blushed.

"Yes... but these dress designs are so beautiful!" Annabeth smiled.

"I'm glad you like them. I tried to emanate each of the personalities of the different bridesmaids-"

"EEK!"

"Really Piper?"

"Sorry, I got a bit too excited there."

The bridesmaids and groomsmen were basically a group of Piper, Annabeth, and Jason's good friends. Piper had chosen Annabeth as her maid of honor, with Thalia and their friends Hazel and Calypso as the bridesmaids. Jason had obviously chosen Percy as his best man, and his friends Frank and Leo as the groomsmen. They had all been friends in college, minus Percy, who had gone off to study marine biology in Florida. Piper had acted like the matchmaker fo the group, being happily in love with Jason (whom she had convinced to go to NYU to be able to spend more time together). Hazel and Frank had fallen for eachother soon after their first meeting, but they were both very shy. Piper ended up being the one who had gotten them to tell each other about their feelings. They were now five years engaged, and happily living together.

Leo and Calypso, on the other hand, had an entirely different backstory. They didn't really start off on a good foot, hard as Piper tried. Leo had dated a clingy girl named Khione back in high school, who refused to accept that he had broken up with her. And Calypso had actually met Percy in Florida while she was on break, and had fallen head over heels for him. Not long after, (since Percy wasn't interested) she realized that it would never work out, so they just became friends. When Calypso and Leo first met, it was more of a nuclear disaster than love at first two were polar opposites- a great cook and fabric designer versus a fire-loving mechanic and inventor. The situation wasn't improved when Khione reappeared and started to stalk Leo, and threaten Calypso's life. Annabeth had ended up calling in a favor with the FBI, and gotten Khione (who was actually an infamous Russian mobster's daughter) locked up for good. (Leo still commented about Annabeth's bad-ass super-spy-alter-ego from time to time. Calypso continued to tell Annabeth how she was eternally grateful for her help.) Calypso and Leo had finally realized their feelings for each other not long after the situation with Khione had been taken care of, and were now happily married with a baby on the way.

Jason and Piper had actually asked Thalia's cousin, Nico, to be a part of the wedding party as well. But he had refused, saying that he didn't feel comfortable. Nico and his sister Bianca had been good friends with Thalia and Annabeth for a long time. When Bianca died in a fatal car accident during her freshman year at college, Nico basically shut down. With Annabeth's help, he had gotten back on his feet. He was still reclusive, and always dressed in all black, but he still remained very close with Annabeth. She was, after all, the one who had helped him sort out his feelings during college, when he realized that he was in love with a boy for the first time. Nico was now very happy, being partners with William Solace, a surgeon who had joined their group of friends in their junior year of college.

Piper was successful in all of her matchmaking endeavors except for Annabeth, who remained single throughout college, though many boys pursued her (and recieved broken noses in exchange). Piper continued to try to set Annabeth up with boys time after time. Each one was worse than the next. Annabeth had almost strangled Luke Castellan, an actor friend of Piper's who had somehow managed to throw up on Annabeth's blueprints on three seperate occasions. Now Annabeth had a lurking suspicion that Piper was trying to set her up with Percy.

"No chance, no way- I won't say it, no, no. It's too cliche. I won't say I'm in... loooooove-" Annabeth's phone sang. "You changed my ringtone?!" she shrieked at Piper. Annabeth glanced at the caller. Percy Jackson. She hit ignore call. "PIPER!" Said person smiled at her innocently.

"I didn't do aaaaaaaaanything." She started to hum the rest of the song. "Great Disney movie, Hercules. Totally wrong with all the facts, but still really cute. You remind me a bit of Meg, Annie. You're both sassy, smart, brokenhearted-"

"We're looking at dress designs for your wedding right now, Piper. So shut up."

"Oooh, defensive. Are you hiding something?" Piper taunted jokingly. Annabeth ignored her friend and turned her attention back to her designs.

"JASON? I CAN'T SEE ANYTHING! WHERE ARE YOU?" Percy yelled.

"OVER HERE- ouch! I THINK I FOUND THAT FORK YOU WERE LOOKING FOR..." Jason yelled back.

It was practically impossible to see through the giant mushroom cloud of flour in the kitchen, and Percy kept pknocking stuff over.

"ANNABETH WON'T PICK UP HER PHONE!"

"WHY DID YOU CALL HER?" Jason screamed.

"I DON'T KNOW! SHE SEEMED SMART, LIKE SHE KNEW HOW TO MAKE A PIZZA WITHOUT MAKING IT IT EXPLODE!"

"WHY DID I LET YOU MAKE THE PIZZA?" Jason said, waving his arms around blindly and subsequently crashing into a pan.

"CAUSE I MAKE THE BEST PANCAKES EVER!" Percy retorted, yanking the oven door open.

"I THINK THAT'S ABOUT THE EXTENT OF YOUR CULLINARY ABILITIES, PERCY."

"I WOULDN'T SAY THAT JUST YET. BEHOLD THE MOST BEAUTIFUL HOMEMADE PIZZA IN EXISTENCE!" Percy exclaimed, brandishing a pizza pan above his head. The cloud of flour slowly started to settle, revealing sauce, cheese, pots, pans, and various cooking utensils strewn everywhere, all covered in flour. Percy shrugged his flour coated arms. "Should we clean this up?" he asked a frowning Jason.

"We should clean this up," Jason agreed.

Piper was oohing and ahhing over all of the dresses. Each one was the same style of dress (except for Thalia, who refused to wear anything with a skirt) but with different accents on them. Hazel and Calypso's dresses were a dark electric blue, made of flowing chiffon and silk. The tops were formed like sweetheart strapless dress but with one strap from the shoulder flowing around the bodice area to the back. Hazel's strap was sparkly silver with little embroidered gems and coins on it, as she majored in archaeology, and loved learning about ancient currencies. Calypso's strap was sparkly gold, with little suns embroidered on it, partly as a joke because of Leo, and partly because of her ever-sunny disposition. Annabeth's dress was a little different, though, being for the maid of honor. It was also made of chiffon and silk, but it was a light turquoise green color, the same shade as Percy's eyes. (Which was a detail that did not go unnoticed by Piper.) It had two thin sparkly silver straps instead of being semi-strapless, and it's bodice was a little bit different. It featured a bronze sparkly girdle (think Amazonian Queen war belt) embroidered onto the dress with little olive branches and owls in it's design. Wise like Athena, Annabeth thought to herself. Each of the groomsmen's tuxedoes was a deep black, had a white satin vest underneath. They also would have a white rose in the lapel. Each person had a different bowtie, though- each also made for the person's personality or interests. Frank's bow tie was silver to match Hazel's dress, and had designs of little chariots and scepters on it. Leo's bowtie was basically the same as Calypso's dress, but had little flame designs as well. Percy's bow tie was sea green, like his eyes (and Annabeth's dress, Piper noticed) with tiny bronze waves and tridents pictured on it. Annabeth had also included a bowtie for Jason, which was light gold with tiny wedding bells and gusts of wind on it.

"These are the most beautiful things I have ever seen!" Piper shrieked happily, clapping her hands. "We'll have to get them immediately!" Annabeth smiled at her friend.

"I'm glad you like them, Pipes. We should probably go find Jason and Percy now. I wonder what they've been up to all this time," she trailed off, sounding suspicious. "They're probably getting into trouble. Come on, let's go find them."

Annabeth and Piper walked into the kitchen, and Annabeth's eyebrows shot up. "What are you doing?" she asked Percy and Jason. The kitchen was relatively clean except for the two boys, who were covered in head to toe in flour. Percy smiled widely at Annabeth, who looked a little freaked out.

"I made you a smiley face pizza," he said proudly, holding up a dripping pan with some pepperoni in the shape of a droopy smiley face on top.

"That's supposed to be pizza?"

Piper elbowed Annabeth, and said, "It looks beautiful, Percy. You, uh, must have put a lot of work into that. Let's order some pizza, then we'll all eat dinner."

"And then we'll watch Finding Nemo!" exclaimed Percy happily.


	10. Finding Nemo and Possibly Love

**I was inspired! I am making up for lost time with this super special, fluffy, Percabeth-filled chapter! Enjoy!**

**Still not Rick Riordan. Is this really necessary for me to say anymore?**

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><p>"Yes, here's your money. Thank you, good night, have a nice life." Annabeth said to the pizza delivery boy coldly, closing the door.<p>

"WHY WON'T YOU GIVE ME YOUR NUMBER, BABE?" came the slightly muffled shout from behind the door. "WAS IT SOMETHING I SAID?" Percy was turning red, and Jason was trying to hold him back. Piper surreptitiously stood in front of them, trying to block the scene from Annabeth's view should she turn around. Annabeth opened the door, and smiled tightly.

"If you do not leave right now, I will arrest you." The boy's eyes raked up and down her body.

"You can arrest me anytime, honey." Percy growled from the corner.

"Alright," Annabeth said, pulling her gun from her bag and leveling it at his head. "You are under arrest for assault, trespassing on private property, and resisting arrest." The boy's eyes widened.

"Uh..." he laughed nervously. "You can't arrest me... you only have a gun!" Annabeth smirked, and wordlessly pulled her FBI consultant badge from her pocket.

"I warned you not to mess with me, honey." The boy screamed like a little girl, and she hit him on the head with the butt of the gun. He crumpled to the ground on the first step. Piper sighed, looking bored.

"Is he dead?"

"No, just unconscious. He might have a concussion in the morning, though." Piper rolled her eyes and watched as her friend deftly put her gun and badge away. Percy watched from behind her, awestruck.

"I'll get the gardeners to put him at the front gate?"

"And have them take the money for the pizza too. Someone's manager is going to be getting a call." Annabeth hefted the pizza box above her shoulder. "Come on, guys. It's time to eat some pizza." Jason shrugged.

"Fine by me!"

They all crowded around the kitchen counter, quickly devouring the extra-large cheese pizza. "Thid id delidioud," Percy mumbled through a gooey bite of pizza.

"Don't speak with food in your mouth," Annabeth said, waving at him absentmindedly. "It's very rude." Percy swallowed his bite in one gulp.

"Sorry," he mumbled. Piper and Jason were having a Lady and the Tramp moment with a long string of cheese, and giggling. "Uh... don't chew with your mouthes open, guys." Percy looked at Annabeth for approval. Annabeth's lips turned upwards marginally. Oh, Percy, she thought. What am I going to do with you? Piper started to glare at Percy out of the corner of her eye, but softened when she saw the ghost of a smile on Annabeth's face. Jason and Piper were almost at the middle when the string of cheese broke. "Aw," Piper pouted.

"Just because we finished eating doesn't mean I can't kiss you," Jason smiled, leaning in and kissing her sweetly. Percy wrinkled his nose.

"Aw, come on guys. We didn't need to see that," Percy whined. He glanced at Annabeth nervously to see if she had noticed his use of the word "we". "Uh... we should probably start Finding Nemo now! We don't want it to get too late. It's already 9:30," he amended quickly.

"Fine," Piper said, looking annoyed at being interrupted.

"To the movie room!" Percy exclaimed happily, running into the hall. Annabeth couldn't help but smile at his childish innocence and excitement over a movie. Piper couldn't help but notice Annabeth's smile. And Jason couldn't help but notice the evil grin spreading across his fiancée's face.

"Jason," Piper hissed, grabbing his arm as he walked towards the hallway. "I have a plan."

"It's evil, isn't it?"

"Yep. It's absolutely brilliant." Jason sighed in defeat.

"Fine. What's the plan?" he asked. Piper leaned over and started to whisper furiously in his ear. His eyebrows raise.

"You think that'll work?"

"I'm positive. Now let's get to that room before Annabeth picks a seat."

Annabeth stepped into the move room. She had always liked watching movies in here- and not just because of the giant screen. The ceiling was designed to look like the night sky, and glittered with faux stars when the lights were turned off. Annabeth sometimes liked to sleep on the plush couch when she needed to relax. The room was furnished with a floor-to-ceiling bookshelf full of movies, a plush, extra-large couch, and two fluffy armchairs. Percy was swiping through all of the movies, and pulled out Finding Nemo with a whoop of triumph. "YES! FOUND IT!" He jumped up and down ecstatically. Annabeth rolled her eyes.

Piper skidded into the room, pulling Jason along behind her. "Sit on the couch, Annie," Piper said, slightly out of breath. Annabeth glanced at Percy, who was inserting the DVD into the built-in port on the wall. She cautiously sat down on the farthest corner of the couch. Jason claimed an armchair, and Piper stood in front of another. Annabeth's eyes narrowed, but Piper clapped her hands and the lights turned off. The beginning credits were just starting when Percy sat on the opposite end of the couch. Piper ran over to Jason's armchair and jumped onto his lap. "Should I move?" Percy whispered.

"You can't get up in the middle of a movie, Percy! You should know that!" Piper giggled. Annabeth glared at her friend in the darkness. Someone was going to pay later.

It was ten minutes into the movie when Percy couldn't take it anymore. "PIPER, JASON. PLEASE STOP MAKING OUT!" he shrieked. Piper lifted her head from Jason's to look at Percy, blushing to her roots in the darkness.

"Yeah, guys. Please save it for the honeymoon. Or at least the bedroom. It's distracting," Annabeth said, not looking away from the movie. Piper and Jason blushed an even deeper shade of red.

"We'll be right back," Piper stammered. "We just need to... have a moment." She and Jason stood up and ran into the hall, closing the door behind them.

"We're not going back in there, are we."

"Nope!" Piper said happily. "But one plus to this plan is that we have the rest of the house all to ourselves for the whole night." Jason smiled.

"Alright. Let's go watch a movie in bed."

"My thoughts exactly," Piper smiled back at him.

Annabeth was slowly relaxing away from the corner of the couch. Nemo's dad and Dory were currently talking to a shark. "Good movie, isn't it?" she whispered to Percy. Why did I ask him that, she wondered. I'm supposed to hate him! Percy looked at her, slightly startled.

"Yeah. It's my favorite," he replied. They settled into a slightly uncomfortable silence.

"Mine too," she whispered. Percy smiled, and their silence became more comfortable.

Fifteen minutes later, Annabeth was starting to get cold. Will Percy notice if I get the blanket from that armchair? Will he be offended? She shook her head. It doesn't matter what he thinks! he brain exclaimed. Just get the blanket if you're cold. Annabeth started to stand up, but Percy beat her to it. Grabbing the blanket, he asked, "Are you cold? You should have said something earlier." He walked over and tucked the blanket around a rather shocked-looking Annabeth. "Do you mind if I share?" Annabeth shook her head no. WAIT, WHAT? Annabeth shrieked in her mind. I don't want to share my blanket with him! Or do I? Percy gently pulled the blanket around them both, leaving a respectable amount of space between them. The blanket wasn't very long, though, so it barely covered Annabeth's thigh. I'm freezing, she thought to herself. Looking at Percy, she sighed dejectedly. "You should move a bit closer. The blanket isn't helping either of us like this."

"Ok..." Percy said, cautiously moving next to Annabeth.

Annabeth's breath caught in her throat at his close proximity. She could smell the slight hint of salty sea air on him. If she reached out, she could run her fingers through his hair. She watched as his chest rose and fell, his eyes sparkling with the light of the movie. She could feel the heat of his arm through his sleeve. Subconsciously, she moved a little closer. She heard him let take a little breath, then release it. "Are you still cold?" he barely whispered.

"A little bit," she breathed.

"I'm going to put my arm around you. Is that okay?" he asked, concern shining in his eyes. Annabeth took a deep breath.

"Okay," she whispered. Percy moved a little bit closer, and carefully laid his arm around her. Annabeth couldn't help but notice that they fit perfectly. She allowed herself a little smile, breathing in the scent of Percy and basking in his warmth. For the first time in a long time, she felt like she was home.

The seagulls in the harbor were squawking "MINE MINE MINE MINE MINE" in front of the Sydney opera house when Annabeth's eyelids began to droop. She yawned. "The Sydney Opera house is a wonderful piece of architecture. Did you know that construction started in 1958, but it opened on October 20, 1973?" She yawned once more. "It holds 5,738 people at full capacity-"

"Shh," Percy murmured, playing with a stray curl that had fallen out of her bun. "You're tired."

"I am," Annabeth agreed sleepily, snuggling into his side. Percy's eyebrows raised. He had imagined holding Annabeth for so long, and now she was here in his arms. A dreamy smile spread across his face, and he held his love close to him. Soon after, her breath evened, and she began to snore softly. Percy yawned as Nemo convinced the other fishes to escape the fishing net together. I wonder if this will last? Percy wondered. But she's here right now, and that's all that matters. Slowly, his eyes began to close, the faint sound of wedding bells echoing in his ears.


End file.
